A Day at Knepp: Wood, Beavers and Creative Connections

Last Saturday I spent one of those rare days that leaves you feeling both inspired and grounded. Celebrating Beavers at Knepp!

I was invited to the private view of Tooth and Chisel: An Exploration in Wood, a new exhibition by woodturner and maker Jubal. The show has been shaped by time spent at Knepp, drawing on the estate’s timber and the remarkable story of its beavers. It forms part of Sussex Craft Week and runs throughout June and July 2026.

I met Jubal through another talented woodworker, Liz, who makes the wooden discs I use for my Incredibusy salvaged speed looms. Liz is an incredible artist, and was also one of my mentoring clients, so attending the exhibition felt like one of those lovely moments where different strands of work, friendship and creativity come together.

Knepp itself always feels like a place apart

The rewilding project has become internationally known for showing what can happen when nature is given space to recover, but experiencing it in person is something else entirely. There is a sense of abundance and possibility in the landscape that is difficult to describe until you’ve walked through it.

Jubal’s exhibition sits beautifully within that context. The turned vessels and carved forms feel deeply connected to the land they came from, revealing the character and history held within the wood itself. Alongside these pieces were lamps and cushions from Wendy, Chintz & Wood, some made using fabrics dyed with acorns gathered at Knepp, another reminder of the subtle ways landscape and craft can become intertwined.

The beavers!

One of the most fascinating aspects of the exhibition is its connection to Knepp’s beavers. Their story is extraordinary. Totally celebrating Beavers at Knepp! Through their dam-building and habitat creation, these animals are quietly transforming the landscape, slowing water, creating wetlands and supporting biodiversity. They are nature’s engineers, reshaping the environment through countless small acts that have an outsized impact. Walking around the estate before seeing the exhibition, it was impossible not to think about the relationship between human makers and these industrious non-human makers, both working with wood, both shaping the world around them in different ways.

We spent the afternoon wandering through the estate and enjoying a delicious lunch together.

Another highlight was seeing work by another of my clients, textile artist Harriet Riddell. Her remarkable Knepp Rewilding Chair is currently installed in the private dining room and provides a wonderful example of storytelling through craft. I’ll be writing more about Harriet’s work in my next post because it deserves a closer look of its own.

What struck me most about the day was the web of connections. A mentor and mentee relationship leading to an exhibition invitation. Craft makers drawing inspiration from a rewilded landscape. Artists responding to environmental change. Traditional skills finding new relevance in conversations about nature recovery.

Knepp has become famous for rewilding ecosystems, but perhaps it also rewilds creativity. It creates the conditions for unexpected encounters, collaborations and ideas to flourish.

I left feeling grateful for the invitation, inspired by the work, and reminded that some of the most meaningful creative experiences happen when art, landscape and community come together. It was lovely to meet some of Jubal’s friends and fellow creatives local to Worthing too – looking forward to seeing some of Nadine’s tapestries!

More on Harriet Riddell’s extraordinary Knepp Rewilding Chair soon.

LINKS: www.jubalprevatte.com and Liz Pearson LoveHeartWood woodturning lessons

Celebrating Beavers at Knepp.

And you may also enjoy the film Wilding, about the Knepp project itself.

watch this film here: https://homecinema.curzon.com/film/wilding (other platforms are available.)