Crafts / Heritage Timber & Joinery

Heritage Timber & Joinery

Timber defines the character of Britain's built heritage - from great oak-framed guildhalls to the sash windows of Georgian terraces.

About Heritage Timber & Joinery

Timber defines the character of Britain's built heritage - from the great oak-framed guildhalls of Suffolk and Herefordshire to the sash windows of Georgian terraces, from medieval roof trusses to the panelled rooms of Victorian civic buildings. Heritage timber and joinery encompasses two complementary but distinct craft worlds: bench joinery (workshop-based repair and fabrication of historic joinery elements) and structural timber framing (conservation and reconstruction of the oak frames and wattle-and-daub infill that form the bones of pre-modern buildings).

Both paths share the same deep knowledge of timber - species, grain, movement, decay, traditional joints and finishes - and the same NVQ qualification family.

Typical earnings

Entry level: £22,000–£28,000 | Experienced conservation specialist: £32,000–£45,000 | Self-employed contractor/consultant: higher

Practitioners in this craft

Practitioner interviews are in production. At least one practitioner featured in each craft will be a woman working in that trade. If you know someone still practising this craft, or would like to be featured, get in touch.

office@craftgate.org

Career pathway

Apprentice Joiner

Bench basics - preparing timber, cutting joints, assisting with window and door repairs

Hand tools, timber identification, accurate measurement, workshop safety

Conservation Bench Joiner

Fabricating and repairing sash windows, panelling, shutters, architraves

Traditional joints, matching historic profiles, timber movement and decay

Site Joiner

Installing bespoke joinery, repairing staircases, gates and structural timber

Fitting to irregular historic fabric, working sensitively around original material

Heritage Joinery Specialist

Complex conservation repairs to significant interiors - medieval roofs, shopfronts

Timber pathology, dendrochronology awareness, traditional adhesives

Apprentice Carpenter / Timber Frame Assistant

Handling timber, learning joint types and species, assisting on repairs

Hand tool safety, timber identification, CSCS card

Traditional Timber Framer

Designing and cutting oak frames using mortice and tenon, pegged connections

Frame design, green oak working, peg and draw-boring, structural principles

Conservation Timber Framer

Complex structural repairs to significant listed timber-framed buildings

NVQ L3 Heritage Skills Wood Occupations, timber pathology, dendrochronology

Master Craftsperson / Trainer

Conservation contracts, advising architects, contributing to industry guidance

Full craft mastery, specification writing, MSc Timber Building Conservation

Getting qualified

✓Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Wood Occupations - Heritage Architectural Joinery, Heritage Site Carpentry, or Heritage Structural Post and Beam Carpentry
✓CSCS card
✓Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Heritage Skills - Wood Occupations
✓SAP Heritage Wood Occupations programme
✓MSc in Timber Building Conservation (Weald and Downland Living Museum)

Find a placement

Ready to try Heritage Timber & Joinery for yourself? Browse available placements with verified hosts.

View Heritage Timber & Joinery placements ← All crafts

Ready to learn?

Start the Heritage Timber & Joinery Foundation Pathway - 6 modules covering conservation philosophy to career qualifications.

Start Learning →