The team
Since our school was established in 2007, we have been delivering consistently high quality teaching year on year. Our tutors have extensive and proven track records within the field of furniture making, photography and carving. We have a commitment to combining commercial practice, intelligent design, making and education. At Williams & Cleal we strongly believe (having experienced this ourselves) that having the opportunity to learn from a leading practitioner, in a professional environment, alongside some extremely talented people is both unique, inspiring and above all rewarding for all. As well as visiting tutors, our core team includes the permanent team below.
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As workshop tutor, Justin provides hands-on tutoring in making skills and workshop techniques.
As well as being an extremely skilled craftsman, Justin also has over 30 years experience in running a highly successful furniture making business. After studying a 3 year fine furniture craft and management course at Buckinghamshire college, and working for a craftsman in the New Forest, in 1990 he set up Williams and Cleal Furniture with Jane.
" I am passionate about making beautiful bespoke furniture. The team and I pride ourselves on the level of detail and precision we obtain in our creations. I now thoroughly enjoy passing on my knowledge, skills and creativity to the next generation”
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As principal and tutor, Jane brings over 30 years experience. An award winning designer and maker, she also has a proven track record as a qualified full time higher education lecturer, teaching to degree level. Having originally established Williams and Cleal with Justin in 1990 she has worked in all areas of their business, and now successfully combines this with teaching students in their workshops.
"In 1988 I attended a lecture by Alan Peters OBE. I was very inspired, so approached him and successfully obtained an apprenticeship. He was a very important figure with direct links to the Arts and Crafts movement, having been apprenticed to Edward Barnsley, and was a pioneer of the seventies British craft revival . I owe him a great debt. To learn from someone described as ‘the maker’s maker’ has been invaluable. My experiences as a designer, maker and lecturer help ensure Williams & Cleal offer exceptional, dynamic and rewarding furniture making courses".
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Oli is a trained Fine Furniture Maker, with additional experience of working in the Carpentry and Joinery trades and experience of Product Design at further education level.
In 2019, Oli completed the Full Time Fine Furniture Designer Maker course here at Williams & Cleal Furniture School, and from the outset showed a natural flair for making and consistently achieved work to high standards. Oli currently works in the commissions arm of Williams & Cleal making high end bespoke furniture for our clients. On a part time basis, he can be found lending his expertise to students as a CAD tutor and Assistant Workshop Tutor. Oli is both knowledgeable and proficient at tutoring our students in Rhino 3D and he runs weekly sessions that progress students from beginner level, to being confident at drawing up their own designs. You'll also find Oli tutoring our short weekend fine woodworking and furniture making courses.
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Olly is an experienced software/hardware engineer and lifelong tinkerer/maker. He is a past student of the Full Time Designer Maker programme and completed the course in 2022, where he brought his experiences of digital fabrication and complemented them with the more traditional skills we teach.
Olly currently runs our digital lab, helping out with the school's laser cutting and CNC needs, as well as introducing these technologies and processes to the students as part of the curriculum.
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Jan is a highly accomplished maker and designer and runs her own successful bespoke furniture business two miles from the school. Jan comes from a background in Design and CGI. Sharing her expertise on a weekly basis, Jan tutors our students in drawing and sketching techniques and producing conceptual sketches for clients.
Jan is a past student of the Full Time Designer Maker programme and completed her course in 2017. Jan's final course project, the 'Meala' dressing table went on to secure a Merit of Excellence by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, and her work has since gone on to feature in several exhibitions, woodworking and interiors publications. She is a graduate of the Craft Council's Hothouse programme 2019 and continues to make furniture tailored to its owner and use at the forefront of her design.
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Sue heads up our accounts and business administration - both for our school and bespoke furniture business.
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Mike qualified 25 years ago with a NDPIII in photography and has run his own studio for the last 20 years specialising in a broad cross section of work from industrial, corporate, aerial and studio work. Mike is a specialist is architectural photography, and has recently trained in fine furniture making here at the Williams and Cleal Furniture School on our One Year Design Maker course. During that time, Mike has taught our Designer Maker students in the essentials of photography, lead their studio and lighting set ups for finished furniture photography, and advised on the best product photography techniques for those students looking to sell their work.
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Lizzy has many years of woodcarving experience, having originally studied the craft at a specialist woodcarving school in Finland. Lizzy bought her woodworking expertise back to the UK, where she has worked on exquisite high end projects for well known fine furniture companies. She has carved both architectural and sculptural pieces throughout her career.