My friend’s hand-made Tuck Box at boarding school was always a source of great excitement…
At the start of each term, his grandmother (bless her) used to leave him some treats in his Tuck Box. It was not until years later she discovered that Babycham was in fact alcoholic. Unfortunately, the Prefects were more worldly.
Years before Babychamgate, the very same hand-made Tuck Box was used by his father at the very same boarding school — and today the tradition is carried forward. My friend now packs the Tuck Box for his son (Dandelion and Burdock the current poison of choice. An iPad now sits in the felt-lined compartment previously reserved for a favourite comic, Whizzer and Chips).
Now I have the pleasure of making these Boarding School Tuck Boxes…
Each one is unique in its own way. Made from kiln-dried Redwood, stained, waxed and finished with solid brass hinges, handles and hasps – joints are cleverly mitred to protect end grain.
However, these Boarding School Tuck Boxes are so much more than how they are made and what they are made from. They hold much more than the photos, books and keepsakes…
As I paint on the name or initials of each new Tuck Box, a new one is born to hold all the stories and memories made from the very best days of our lives.
With the Boarding School Tuck Box these stories and memories live on and get passed onto the next generation. This is why I build them.
Matthew Winton
The Winchester Tuck Box Company