Erith Gold lined Hemmings Tray

Made-to-Order Hemmings Tray with "Erith Gold" base.

product story

The Hemmings Tray

Richard Hemmings established local timber merchants R.I.C. Hemmings in 1969. He was active within the community, often helping with materials and advice. Over the years, he gathered a collection of timber off-cuts, interesting pieces that were too good to waste, including some rare and unusual pieces. Sadly, Richard passed away not long ago, leaving behind a garage full of timber and unfinished projects.

This timber found its way to The Exchange via Richard’s son, Rob, who reached out to us to ask if we could make use of it. We wanted to use it to create something special, something that would show off the timber, and would celebrate Richard’s love for unusual timber and contribution to the community.

We approached design studio AtelierThirtyFour with the proposition – Dave and Harry then went on to design a stacking tray that could be made in our Timber Workshop by our Community Makers. The tray was prototyped at a free workshop delivered as part of our annual craft festival Here Comes the Sun.

With the support of Cory Environmental, we have been able to refine the design to incorporate a ceramic tiled base. The tiles are glazed with our very own “Erith Gold” that was developed by ceramicist Natalia Kasprzycka.

We are now producing a limited edition of ninety-nine completely unique trays each constructed from Richard’s fascinating timber collection.  This edition will be sold in memory of Richard with money raised helping to provide more opportunities for local people to learn the art and craft of timber and ceramics free of charge at The Exchange.

Erith Gold

The "Erith Gold" tile is the result of a ceramics project to create tiles for Erith's Old Library, a project and concept designed by Ceramicist Natalia Kasprzycka. Taking mud from the River Thames, which flows through our town Erith, this was brought back to The Exchange to be tested and refined. From this mud a functional and unique glaze was made and is now used on a range of products produced at The Exchange, including these tiles that are now available to purchase. All tiles are hand-made by our community makers.

about tex

tex is a unique range of products and the result of creative collaborations between professional designer-makers and local Community Makers at The Exchange. Through their partnership, they enable increased and affordable access to craft skills learning, that in turn supports the maintenance of a listed building and wider community and social development.

Made to order

These products are made to order and therefore have a minimum lead time of 4 weeks. Please contact us to contact us to make a purchase.