Still Sitting Strong: Decades of Woodcraft Benches at Chanterlands
Posted on August 24, 2026
There is something rather special about seeing a wooden bench when it is brand new. Freshly finished timber, crisp engraving and not a mark on it.
But there is something equally special about seeing the same bench twenty or thirty years later.
A recent walk around Chanterlands Crematorium and the adjoining Northern Cemetery in Hull revealed just how long some of Woodcraft's benches have been quietly doing their job. There are more than sixty Woodcraft benches throughout the grounds, predominantly our familiar Beverley memorial bench, with many believed to have been here for more than twenty years and some dating back around 36 years.
Needless to say, they don't look as they did on the day they left our workshop.
And nor should they.
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Timber that tells its own story
Wood is a natural material and, left outdoors year after year, it changes. The warm tones of new timber gradually mellow and silver. Rain, frost, sunshine and countless Hull winters leave their mark. Lichen and moss find a home on untreated surfaces, while other benches have periodically been treated, stained or painted by those looking after them.
There are scratches, fading plaques and the occasional contribution from the local bird population too.
Perhaps the best comparison is with a good wine or an aged whisky. These benches haven't simply become older; they have matured. Their appearance now tells part of their story.
Look closely at the photographs and no two have aged in quite the same way. Some retain a rich brown finish, others have weathered to beautiful shades of silver and grey. A few show every one of their decades quite proudly.
Yet the remarkable thing is how many remain solid, substantial pieces of furniture after decades permanently exposed to the British weather.
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More than somewhere to sit
The real story, though, isn't simply about how long a wooden bench can last.
It is about why these particular benches are here.
Chanterlands Crematorium opened in 1961 and shares its site with Hull's Northern Cemetery. Hull Bereavement Services describes the grounds as a place in which people can say goodbye to, commemorate and remember those they have lost. Its mature gardens have developed over many years, shaped in part by the families who have chosen to create memorials here.
Among those memorials are dozens of Woodcraft benches.
Many carry plaques bearing names and dates from decades ago. Others have inscriptions carved directly into their timber. And although the benches themselves have grown older, it is clear that the people they commemorate have not been forgotten.
Fresh flowers sit beside benches installed many years ago. There are photographs, handwritten notes, hearts, wreaths and personal keepsakes. Some have become little memorial gardens in their own right, tended by families who continue to visit.
One bench might simply offer a quiet place beneath a tree. Another is surrounded by flowers and photographs. Another carries several plaques, suggesting that over the years it has become associated with more than one member of a family.
Each has acquired a history that could never have existed when it was first made.
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Thirty-six years outdoors – and counting
For Woodcraft, Chanterlands is particularly significant as one of our longest-standing local customers.
Over many years we have supplied memorial benches for locations throughout Hull and much further afield, but few places demonstrate their longevity quite as vividly as Chanterlands.
Walking around the grounds today is almost like walking through several decades of Woodcraft's history.
The Beverley bench is particularly well represented. Its simple traditional construction and distinctive shaped back can be spotted again and again among the trees. Some examples are relatively recent; others have stood in the grounds for a generation.
A new hardwood memorial bench will inevitably attract attention because of the beauty of its timber and finish. These older benches tell a different story.
They show what comes afterwards.
Years become decades. Timber changes colour. Trees grow around them. Families return. Flowers are replaced with new ones. Another card appears. Another photograph is left behind.
And the bench remains.
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Made to become part of a place
Perhaps that is one of the nicest things about making outdoor furniture from timber.
It doesn't remain untouched by its surroundings.
Over time, a wooden bench becomes part of the landscape in which it sits. At Chanterlands, some have weathered until their silvery timber seems entirely at home among the mature trees. Moss and lichen soften their surfaces. Others have been carefully treated and preserved, evidence that somebody is still looking after a bench installed decades earlier.
They aren't new benches any more. They're not supposed to be.
They are old friends: weathered, familiar and still offering somewhere to sit, reflect and remember.
And judging by the flowers, photographs, notes and keepsakes that continue to appear around so many of them, their most important job is one they are still performing perfectly.
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And finally this brings us to perhaps the oldest Woodcraft bench. This is such an old Beverley bench, I think we must have made it right at the start of Woodcraft's history. It's still solid enough to sit on, albeit very worn and it looks out over the adjacent cemetery like an old faithful guard.
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If you want to know more about or benches then click the link below or feel free to give us a call on 01482 887921 if you are considering having a memorial bench made. We are in touch with many local authorities and can advise on the best way forwards for your commemoration.
