BESPOKE FRAMING SPECIALISTS SINCE 1993
OPENING TIMES & AD HOC CLOSURES – LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
We are open BY APPOINTMENT Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturdays 9am to 12noon. Please see our Booking page to book a design appointment or collection visit. Drop-in appointments may be possible if we are available and have no other appointments booked. But it is always best to call and check before heading over so you don’t have a wasted trip. We are a family business, so the workshop closes when we are away. But we keep ad hoc closures to a minimum with as much notice given as possible. We list dates here and update our answerphone greeting. If you are travelling to see us then please do phone and check so you don’t have a wasted trip.
Family Celebration Day 1. Thursday 13th to Saturday 15th August 2026. Workshop closed on each of those three days.
Family Celebration Day 2. Saturday 29th August 2026. Workshop closed all day.
HOW TO FIND US
If you use What3Words – find us at ///otters.skewed.doses.
We are the third building on the right once you are on the estate. Turn right just after you see our sign (dark blue background and white writing) on the fence. We are down the right hand side of the building. If you get a bit lost, just call and we will talk you in!! Parking is available right outside our front door. There are a few spaces at the front of the building. Please do avoid parking in spaces belonging to our business neighbours. Limited on road parking is also available in marked bays.
Goings On…..
JULY 2026
After a very lovely summer holiday we are now back in the workshop and picking up our normal routines. Waiting for us on the doormat was a very lovely thank you letter from Rowcroft Hospice. They are the local charity we supported during our 20th birthday celebrations last month. With money raised in memory of Jo’s wonderful Dad, Brian, who was so superbly supported and cared for by the Rowcroft team back in 2024. In total £307.93 was collected and we are thrilled to have made a small contribution to the vital work Rowcroft do. Our thanks also to every customer who put a bit extra into the collection bucket.
Throughout June customers were able to draw a ticket to see if they would get a discount on their bespoke framing order. It was great to share in our birthday celebrations as customers picked the 20%, 10% and some of the 5% discount tickets. We also handed over a good number of wooden stock frames as consolation prizes. Our thanks to everyone for joining in with the fun – one customer even took home the ticket bucket on our final day so they could use it at their own birthday event!
Current lead times.
We worked our little socks off in May and June to clear a lot of things before our holiday, which means our lead times are back to being very normal at the moment. Work taken in before our holiday is now in progress and we are on a 2 to 3 week turnaround for normal bespoke framing orders. Despite the heat!
Quick heads up for some schedule changes in August.
As many customers are aware, both our sons are employed within HM Forces. Every now and then we are able to rock up and enjoy a special family event with them at work. In August we are delighted to be heading to Dartmouth for a Passing Out Ceremony. But that does mean we can’t also be at work. With family celebrations and a brief spell of family time to follow before everyone has to head off to their next commitment, we will be closed from Thursday 13th through to Saturday 15th August inclusive.
On top of that, we have our first family wedding of the next generation happening at the end of the month. Our nephew Jamie will be marrying the very lovely Rose and so on Saturday 29th the workshop will be closed.
Apart from that, we are open with normal hours the rest of the month. Thank you for your understanding of these changes.
JUNE 2026
The truly brilliant wildlife artist, Annie Drew, is having her first solo exhibition.
We are proud to have worked with Annie for many years now. Producing hand crafted and hand painted frames for her original works as well as the mounts for her limited edition fine art prints. She is such a superb artist. After 20 years of exhibitions across the UK, Annie is bringing a solo exhibition home to Devon. There will be a selection of her original oil paintings as well as some of her fine art prints on sale. We highly recommend a visit.
It will be at No. 10 Gallery, Chagford High Street from Friday 12th to Wednesday 17th June and open from 10am to 4pm each day. A rare chance to see such a wide collection of Annie’s work in one place. With a first showing of many works and a new collection of mini paintings.
Now for our own news this month.
Why share two photos of textiles hanging from pole supports, when you can show three?
This retired Devon Army Cadet banner will be heading back to D Company HQ for display. A deep box profile ash moulding provides the frame, stained and waxed by Alec to a rich brown tone. Jo painted the pole and backing board in a deep blue colour and a soft wax layer was also applied. UV filtering glazing helps protect the richness of the colours as well as the integrity of the fabric itself. While using spacers avoids the fabric touching the glass to prevent condensation building up over time. Conservation techniques employed throughout of course. We love how it has turned out.
Join us in celebrating 20 years of The Framing Lot.
We opened the doors on 26th June 2006. Our children were still at Primary School, our beloved dog Bisley was a youngster of 1 and we were in our 30s.
Twenty years on and we are proud parents of two amazing young men making their way in the world, we said a tearful goodbye to Bisley back in 2018 but his picture remains on our workshop wall and we are decidedly older and hopefully wiser ourselves.
How things have changed.
We’ve always worked in this same building, but the layout of our space has shifted and changed dramatically in those 20 years. The focus of our business has also shifted and changed. We’ve found areas of specialisation and interest. Expanded our knowledge and skills with training in the UK and USA. Increased our focus on being bespoke framing specialists. Got involved in the industry setting Standards and Qualifications for framers worldwide. Studied for and passed all the UK framing qualifications. Become Accredited Trainers and Guild Certified Examiners.
How things have stayed the same.
We opened the doors in 2006 with a determination to be the best framers we could be for our customers. We also set up our business with the firm ethos of “do as you would be done by”. Be fair and honest in our dealings and firm in our values. To treat every customer and every job with equal respect. Not be afraid to learn new things and take on new roles. Those core values remain as true today as they did 20 years ago. We are determined that will never change.
How are we celebrating?
For the month of June every customer who places a bespoke order, or collects a finished bespoke order (placed before June) will get to pick a strip of 5 raffle ticket numbers in our free prize draw. Prizes have been allocated using a random number generator for fairness. Every strip of numbers will win one prize. There are ten main prizes to pick. One strip of numbers gives a 20% discount, two prizes give a 10% discount and seven prizes give a 5% discount – all on your bespoke framing invoice total. Everyone else will get to pick a free wooden stock frame from the selection available as their prize.
Terms and conditions do apply of course. Numbers are only on offer to those placing or collecting a bespoke framing order. Purchases of ready made frames are not included in this event or the discount. Discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount offered – you get to pick which one you want to use. Discounts apply to order values on one invoice only which cannot be added to in retrospect. One ticket per customer during the month – multiple orders will not give multiple chances to pick a number. Standard glass and backing will be provided as part of the prize for the wooden stock frames, any additions will be charged for as normal. For orders being collected but placed before June, any discount will be applied and balance payments reduced or refund given if order previously paid for in full.
In addition, for every ticket picked throughout the month we will donate £5 to Rowcroft Hospice to support their good work. Customers are welcome to add their own donations.
How are we ending the month?
We are going on our summer holiday! It starts on Friday 26th June, details above.
MAY 2026
Time for a bit of a flashback to previously completed work. Two textile pieces both supported in similar but not identical ways.
The first ...
a padded embroidered dragon wall hanging from Hong Kong. The drama of the textile does the talking in an extra deep box frame. Hand-painted by Alec of course. Specialist UV filtering glazing with anti-reflection properties. A laminated version due to the size and intended location.
Designed to hang on the wall we utilised this with our support method. Fully reversible of course and to full Conservation standards. Alec constructed a trolley system to get it out of the workshop safely, due to the overall weight. Which the art courier then borrowed to help get it into the owner’s home.
The second …
a beautiful Kimono. Unfortunately previous framing and a house move had caused it to suffer some damage. The owner was able to get this repaired at the Royal School of Needlework. Our job was to provide a new frame to the client’s specification. A hand-painted wood frame replaces the original acrylic based supports and frame style. A painted hanging pole allowing the Kimono to be displayed to it’s best effect inside the frame. Another extra deep frame also utilising laminated UV filtering glazing with those anti-reflection properties.
Both frames were strengthened with a supportive sub-frame. This gets utilised to become a French cleat frame hanging system. A safe and secure method for items this large.
“For our generation, where you were during Live Aid was a defining moment”
Unfortunately Jo was on a O Level Geography field trip in deepest North Wales and Alec can’t actually remember! Despite us living less than 10 miles from where it was happening at the time. So it wasn’t a Live event for either of us. Which is quite sad in retrospect or funny depending on how you look at it. Despite our failure to see it, the force of the original Live Aid had an impact around the world and is an iconic moment in time.
Having an original poster in to frame was a joy. And the customer was happy to choose a fun Jackson moulding. We love the final look.
Next month we celebrate The Framing Lot turning 20 years old.
We are celebrating this officially on Friday 26th June but will be marking it throughout the month. See above for more details of how.
When technology lets you down a bit.
We love our online booking system available from our Booking page on this website. Customers browse from available appointments 24/7, without needing to wait for us to be here to respond to a telephone or email request. It’s great when it works, rubbish when it breaks. Our IT expert Ian Birdsey was beavering away behind the scenes and it now works. Thanks Ian and thanks everyone for your patience! It is now back online and working as it should.
APRIL 2026
We will be working on a fantastic textile project this month with a bit of a family connection this time. Both our sons were proud members of Devon Army Cadet Corps throughout their teenage years. Enjoying many happy experiences with them and learning huge amounts. Standing them in excellent stead with their current careers. We had the privilege a few years ago to frame the old Teignmouth detachment banner for display in their building. Our sons had marched with it at various ceremonies and events. Here it is on show at their 2013 inspection in its usual position on display on the wall at the detachment.
The D Company which covers this area had their banner recently decommissioned. Which affords us the privilege of replicating the display frame for another Cadet banner. Again, a banner our sons had proudly marched with over the years. Being able to provide a suitable display solution for these important items is a great honour.
“Being an examiner for other framers is a role we don’t take lightly”
This month we also travelled to Birmingham to conduct two Guild Certified Framer exams. The candidates were as nervous as we’d been when we took our first framing exams some years ago, because for most of us the last time we had to sit an exam was back in our schooldays. We received lovely positive feedback that our recently published article had been useful to both of them in their preparation of sink mounts to support their laced textile work in one of their pre-prepared submitted pieces. Exam days are long days and very focussed. Happily we could inform them both that they had passed. And provide positive feedback on areas where additional learning would be of benefit.
The Guild Certified Framer exam remains the UK’s only internationally recognised framing qualification. Created by working framers in conjunction with the Fine Art Trade Guild over 30 years ago it has set the standard for learning and is the foundation level for framers to achieve.
MARCH 2026
We start mid way through the month – heading back to work after our Spring Break from 10am on Tuesday 17th March. Customer appointments are available to book online for when we return.
After a refreshing break we returned to a flurry of customer appointments and new orders coming in. We’re working steadily through them all and there is a proper mix of things for us to frame this month. Particular highlights are that Alec has been busy in the sanding/preparation room and his painting room with new orders for gesso and gilded frames. While Jo has been busy with some projects that require a bit of thought process on the best way to support the items for framing. Including wood and paint fragments from a historically relevant local sailing yacht that we are supporting in a frame for one of our local museums.
We are also delighted to see that the roadworks in the centre of Dawlish have now finally been cleared and there is a clear run through on the main road from Teignmouth to Dawlish. However …… on the basis of trying not to get too excited, it does look like there are more closures and problems coming in April for a two week period which will mean more diversions and delays. Hopefully they will be short lived and the final ones for a while.
FEBRUARY 2026
Well January flew by and we are back fully into the swing of framing despite all the storms that have been raging over the South West. Larson Juhl, publishers of leading industry magazine 4Walls will publish our latest article on Sink Mounts and Platform Mounts in their Spring edition. We’ve been putting both methods to very good use this month on customer orders. We’ve got some lovely projects to showcase a bit later on, once our customers have had time to take them home, enjoy them and share them with their family and friends.
February is also the time when many of our industry suppliers refresh their stock ranges and launch new products. It give us the chance to do the same and we are in discussion with a new supplier and hope to add some of their chevrons to our walls very soon.
“Roadwork chaos and potholes – the joy of driving in the South West (and Dawlish in particular!)”
You cannot visit Dawlish town centre and fail to see the expansive civil engineering project being undertaken by South West Water. This essential work has elements in different parts of the town and is being done to alleviate future flooding risk and keep our seawater cleaner than before. Road disruption for those travelling through Dawlish has been kept to a minimum. But what we didn’t plan for is Wales & West deciding that this was also the perfect time to do gas works along the main route through Dawlish. Our thanks to all our incredibly patient customers and delivery drivers who have run the gauntlet of numerous traffic lights and congestion since October last year, which finally came to an end at the start of the month.
Unfortunately the grim weather of back to back storms brought the renewed joy of potholes ready to catch people unawares – and we are now potentially about to start new roadworks in the centre of town from South West Water as they work through the next phase. Timings on those are unclear and they have promised to keep delays to a minimum. So fingers crossed on that one. Dawlish isn’t alone with this problem and everyone’s patience is massively appreciated by us.
“A brief break and then back to work.”
As some of you may know, Jo had a brief spell in hospital at the start of the month. She is thankfully on the mend and we cannot thank Channel View Surgery GPs and staff and Torbay Hospital staff enough for their superb care which has continued beyond her time as an in-patient. It does mean that our Spring Break is coming at the perfect time as a recuperative break for Jo as her recovery continues. We head off from 1st March and return on Tuesday 17th March. Customer appointments are available before we go and can also be booked for when we return.
JANUARY 2026
A very Happy New Year to all our lovely customers. 2026 is a bit of a milestone for us as we celebrate our 20th Birthday in June. That’s 20 years of framing in this workshop since we started The Framing Lot. Alec has been framing quite a bit longer than that – but for Jo this does mark her two decades of being a picture framer. We’ve worked through multiple worldwide financial crises starting with the 2008 crash – and of course a global pandemic (definitely didn’t see that one coming!) – but we’ve come through it all. Having built up our own knowledge and experience during that time, having taken the time to gain our foundation level and advanced framing qualifications – we are now enjoying passing on that knowledge to others.
“Training framers to do things the right way has become a personal as well as a business goal.”
A good few years ago, we took the step to become industry examiners. Hosting exams here in our Dawlish workshop as well as travelling to other UK test centres or framing workshops. We have tested a good number of framers during that time in foundation and advanced level exams. We have seen some fantastic framing, spoken with knowledgeable and informed framers and been pleased to congratulate them on achieving a good pass.
But we’ve also seen some pretty shocking examples of framing. Materials and techniques that have no place in a professional framing workshop, practices that will actively harm the customer’s work. Specifications not adhered to, corners cut and sloppy work practices. And at times a very poor understanding of the industry they are working in and the materials they are using. All too often the issues remain hidden inside the frame package itself. Unfortunately the customer only finds out things had been done badly when problems become visible sometimes years down the line.
“That is why we took the decision to become Guild Accredited Trainers.”
We were lucky enough to gain knowledge and experience from others earlier in our careers. Training is a chance to be the next link in the chain. Over the years we have trained a variety of people. Some totally new to the industry, others experienced but wanting to focus on a specific area of expertise. It is always a joy to do and it helps reinforce our own knowledge. Because a tricky question allows us to search out the answer that we can’t dredge up from our memory banks.
This month we welcome Claire to the workshop for a 5 day Foundation Course. Claire is a complete novice but has an art industry background, looking to complement this with the addition of framing. We are looking forward to a busy week. Please do say hi if you see Claire busy in the workshop when you visit.
Thank you for reading!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our monthly news. You can visit our News pages from previous years by clicking on the links: 2022 News : 2023 News : 2024 News
Alec and Jo
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