The craft of joinery, according to Joseph Moxon (Mechanick Exercises, 1683) ‘is an Art Manual, whereby several pieces of wood are so fitted and join’d together by Straight-line, squares, miters or any bevel, that they shall seem one intire piece’. In other words, the joiner applied his skill to the finished surface. The carpenter, on the other hand, was usually responsible for structural elements, such as floor and roof construction. The CRAFTVALUE team have looked at woodwork at a number of key sites and archives throughout Britain and Ireland, including properties in the care of the OPW and the National Trust. In April 2023 the team interviewed timber conservator, Sven Habermann, at Russborough, Co. Wicklow, to get his insights on one of the finest surviving eighteenth-century interiors.

Using digital animations and photogrammetry, video interviews and manuscript material this section of the exhibition explores the ‘sleight of hand’ involved in historic joinery practice. From parquetry floors (Powerscourt and Russborough, Co. Wicklow) and wainscot panelling (Hazelwood, Co. Sligo; Former House of Lords, Dublin (BOI); columns and niches (Hazelwood, Co. Sligo, Powerscourt Co. Wicklow), to staircases (Beningbrough, Yorkshire; Damer House, Co. Tipperary; 85 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin and the Old Library, Trinity College Dublin), it focuses  on the material qualities and techniques involved in the highly skilled work of joiners and carvers.