The Prince of Wales has given his backing to a plan to preserve the Blainslie home of the late sculptor Tim Stead for public access.
In a proposal brochure drawn up by the newly-formed Tim Stead Trust, Prince Charles writes that Mr Stead, who died in 2000, aged 48, had created a place of extraordinary artistic interest at The Steading.
“He was a remarkable woodcraftsman; a true and gifted artist who created wonderful furniture and sculptures. He had a unique understanding of the sustainable management of woodlands and the use of indigenous hardwoods and he did so much to encourage local sourcing and to educate people about wood and woodcraftsmanship,” states Prince Charles.
The Tim Stead Trust Steering Group has been set up to save The Steading as a base for education in woodcraft and art, for the benefit of traditional woodcraft heritage and for the benefit of the local community. The group is now trying to establish a viable way of buying the property and its adjoining workshop. Mr Stead’s widow, Maggy Stead Lenert, said the trust’s proposals would be the biggest accolade to her late husband’s work and life.
She told the Southern: “This house is very much part of Tim’s legacy and it would be wonderful if it could be preserved, not as some dusty museum, but as a living, breathing space, that continues to inspire new generations of artists and craftspeople.”