Q Leisure

In March 2003 Oakmasters became involved in creating oak work for the expansion of the burgeoning corporate leisure and activity complex, Q Leisure, based at Albourne in West Sussex. Set in the rural heart of the county, at the foot of the South Downs, the extensive activity centre, was to be extended to cater for corporate functions and fully facilitated motor go cart tracking, archery, clay pigeon shooting and various other adventure sports.

The Proprietor, Peter Peacock, of Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, working on designs for a Quad biking facility at the site, invited the company to become involved in the construction of a conference room and restaurant, to be incorporated into plans for the all round entertainment venue. The land for development spanned a significant area, with stunning views of the well-known ‘Jack and Jill’ windmills, atop the rolling hills of the Sussex Downs. Planning in this treasured area of the countryside therefore dictated that the new building at the centre should harmonise with its surroundings. Peter also intended it to match with an existing oak structure housing toilets and offices, erected two years earlier.

The designers decided on a barn-like structure, but were aware that within these parameters the building itself should be striking and of a high standard, to be appropriate for the exclusive corporate purposes. Having been concerned that the state of much contemporary oakwork available was unremarkable, they were impressed with the superior condition and finish achieved by Oakmasters. Peter Peacock was also attracted by the unique methods employed by Oakmasters to prematurely age semi seasoned timbers for the desired effect.

Oakmasters through a combined effort, liasing with an architect, planners and building regulators developed designs for a frame covering an area of around 150 square metres. This included large oak trusses under exposed rafters with a gallery supported by posts and crafted, curved brackets as an important feature. The posts were to provide an attractive running theme throughout the lower floor.

The timber frame was preconstructed at Oakmasters’ premises with all necessary joints numbered for easy erection on site by their subcontractors. Once assembled in place on site, the joints were drilled and fixed with oak plugs inserted to disguise bore holes.

The main oak roof trusses were an extremely important facet and feature of the overall building. These structures were completely assembled at Oakmasters’ premises before being transported to the site location, ready for installation.

Angled sections of steel were embedded and concealed within the truss joints, drilled and bolted into place, for additional strength and to comply with building regulations. Attention to detail, as always was paramount and Oakmasters used oak ‘fillets,’ glued into position to render the steel-work invisible. On site the trusses were lifted into position by a crane for fixing.

Once the building had been fully erected the fuming process could be carried out. This took place inside the sealed off building to ensure the maximum uniformity of hue possible. Had each component been fumed separately, major discrepancies in colour intensity would almost certainly have occurred. The rich hue produced by the fuming process and the superior quality hand-wrought finish visible throughout the building, from the gallery down to the door frames, were mutually effective in ensuring the sense of warmth and atmosphere so well associated with traditional structures of this kind. Q Leisure opened up for business in 2003, complete with its striking new restaurant and conference centre!