Spring Newsletter
Dear friends,
Welcome to the first newsletter of the year, introducing our new website!
Many of you will already know the Tim Stead Trust through visits to The Steading, through Tim Stead’s remarkable furniture and sculpture, or through the wider story of woodlands, making and community that surrounds his legacy. With the launch of our new website, we wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves properly, share where we are now, and invite you into the next chapter of the Trust’s work.
The Tim Stead Trust exists to care for and share the life and work of the Scottish furniture designer and sculptor Tim Stead (1952–2000). From his workshop at The Steading near Blainslie in the Scottish Borders, Tim created an extraordinary body of work that sits between sculpture, furniture, poetry and woodland culture. His approach to making was rooted in a deep respect for trees, materials and the living landscape around him.
Today the Trust looks after Tim’s workshop, archive and collection at The Steading, while also working to ensure that his ideas and influence continue to inspire new generations of makers, artists and visitors.
Over the past year the Trust has been steadily developing the site and its programmes. One of the most significant milestones was the completion of the Thyme Roof Project, a major conservation and building project delivered to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of Tim’s passing. The project stabilised an important part of the steading complex and forms a key step in the Trust’s long term plan to secure the future of the buildings and collection.
You can read more about this project and more on our projects page
Alongside conservation work, we have continued to expand our public programme. Visitors have joined us for guided tours of the workshop and archive, including our Accessing the Archive series which explores the stories behind Tim’s furniture, drawings and writings. We have also welcomed participants to hands-on conservation workshops where people can learn about the care and repair of some of Tim’s most vulnerable sculptures.
Workshops in the furniture workshop itself have allowed people to experience aspects of Tim’s approach to making, while volunteer gardening and site development days have helped nurture the landscape around the steading. These activities are an important part of the Trust’s belief that Tim’s legacy is not only something to preserve, but something to continue through shared knowledge, making and care.
The collection itself continues to grow. Recently we were able to acquire an important bookcase from 2005 made by The Workshop of Tim Stead , displaying the original wooden books that later inspired the extensive wooden book library created by our patrons. It is a wonderful addition that helps tell the story of Tim’s imaginative relationship with materials and ideas.
Looking ahead
The Trust is now working on an ambitious five year development plan for 2026–2031. This plan will strengthen conservation of the collection, expand research access to the archive and create new spaces within the steading to share Tim’s work more widely. One of the most exciting developments will be the creation of a small onsite gallery, allowing the Trust to host exhibitions and present the collection in new ways alongside contemporary artists and makers.
These developments are part of a wider vision for The Steading as a living cultural place: a site where conservation, making, learning and landscape come together. Through partnerships with artists, woodland organisations, educators and local communities, the Trust is working to ensure that Tim Stead’s legacy continues to grow in meaningful and imaginative ways.
If you have not yet explored the new website, we warmly invite you to do so. There you will find more about Tim’s life and work, information about visiting The Steading, details of tours and workshops, and updates on the Trust’s ongoing projects.
You will also find ways to become more involved. Membership plays a vital role in sustaining the Trust’s work, and members receive early notice of events, invitations to special moments at the steading and deeper insights into the care of the collection and archive. Support through donations, volunteering or simply sharing our work with others also makes a real difference.
Thank you
Thank you for being part of the growing community around the Tim Stead Trust. Your interest, encouragement and support help ensure that this unique legacy of making, woodland culture and creativity continues to thrive.
We look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.
Warmest wishes,
Tavienne Bridgwater
Director, Tim Stead Trust
