I got a phone call from a friend, Graham: ‘Can you make me a sound desk for a chapel I’m working on in London?’ Fast forward a few weeks and I’m standing in the Guards Chapel, Birdcage Walk discussing building a sound desk, cupboards for A/V equipment and a more general reordering of storage for the very sophisticated new sound system in the chapel. Design wise it needed to be sturdy, to fit in with the rest of the furniture and above all else be functional. We went for a trifold lockable lid for the desk, using piano hinges. Cabling was routed through the back panels, and I installed a remote control LED strip light. It was also mounted on discreet lockable wheels and an access panel at the back for the cable. The sound desk is now tucked away on the left hand side near the altar.
On completion, my son Jonny and I took a moment to appreciate the splendour of the chapel. My father had been in the Welsh Guards for National Service – he was delighted to hear of this commission. He’s followed my late career change with considerable interest, he did the same sort of thing into landscape gardening and jewellery, and this crossover of paths obviously caught his imagination.