§ John Makepeace O.B.E. (British 1939-) Table, 1980 burr elm, designed by Makepeace and made in his workshop by Alan Amey (71cm high, 200cm long, 97cm width (28in high, 78.75in long, 38.1in width)) Footnote: “I bought the tree of burr elm from Brackley Sawmills in circa 1972 and they sawed it into ten 3”(75mm.) thick boards. It was remarkable for the consistency of the burr throughout the tree. At the time, Brackley Sawmills specialised in cutting elm for coffin boards and this tree was of no particular interest as it was not suitable for their purpose. The tree was 12ft (3.6M) long and about 4ft (1.2M) diameter. After the move to Parnham House, Dorset in 1976, I received a series of commissions for dining tables for clients including Lord MacAlpine, Sir David Lean and several others, each made from a single plank from this tree, the length depending on the particular requirements. Unlike most solid timber, burr elm is remarkably stable. This meant that a solid slab of it did not require any support across its width, and the legs could be joined directly into the table top. The combination of the simplicity of form and the extraordinary markings of the burr elm make this an especially valuable piece made in my workshop at Parnham House by Alan Amey.” (John Makepeace, 2020) We would like to thank John Makepeace for his assistance in cataloguing the present work .