Charles Holland Architect’s Monumenta Romana is being constructed with Pierre Woodward and his team, sons Freddy and Joe, who have been creating timber frame buildings from ethically and locally sourced wood for over 25 years.

The timbers being used to construct Monumenta Romana have been used previously, among other things, as sea groins, the floor of a French farmhouse and barrels for Worcester sauce.

The construction is taking place in Pierre’s workshop, just outside Dover, before being partly dismantled for its journey to the North Downs way as it passes through the Waldershare Estate. OS Grid TR 27570 47620. Here MONUMENTA ROMANA will be reassembled within view of the Bevedere tower, an 18th Century folly which never had its intended copula built to adorn its roof.

Pierre Woodward said:

” It is a satisfying process to take an old piece of wood and bring it back to life, repurposing something which might have otherwise been thrown away. I enjoyed the surprise of coming across something finished in what is quite a wild setting. It is a monumental structure with a practical purpose. Working with Charles Holland made me realise the value of working on a project such as this together, both sides providing their own skills to bring it about.”

Charles Hollsand said:
“I had it in mind to work with Pierre when developing the idea for Monumenta Romana. It is important that the object is made from recycled material itself, partly as a way to reduce its ecological impact and partly because it is important to its story. Monumenta Romana is intended to be a relic itself, something salvaged from history. I had visited Pierre’s workshop some time before the commission and seen the salvaged timbers that he had collected there so the fit was a really good one. Beyond that it was a joy to work with Pierre and his sons who who worked from our model but brought new ideas and qualities to the piece as it evolved.”  

Monumenta Romana is one of the 3 new artworks that form the Via Francigena art trail between Canterbury and Dover.