About
John Askew Limited is based on the values of craftsmanship, professionalism, passion and trust. We supply bespoke carpentry, joinery and project management of exceptional quality to a network of customers from our base in South Lancaster, Lancashire. We provide a highly professional service tailored to the requirements of each individual project.
Situated in the village of Bay Horse, just outside Forton, we cover the Lancaster District, the Lune Valley and Morecambe Bay areas.
Approach
Skill
I was born in the village of Belmont on the West Pennine Moors. From the age of 12 I could be often found in my dad’s workshop. At 16 our family left Belmont for Morecambe where I gained a joinery apprenticeship with DJ McKeown of Bolton-Le-Sands. With McKeown’s, I not only learnt good craftsmanship, but absorbed their work ethic and integrity. Work to the highest possible standard throughout, take full responsibility for yourself, and the people that work for you. Have pride, not only in your work but in the relationships you have with your clients, your staff and your suppliers. All my work carries the hallmarks of craftsmanship, quality, robustness and an affection for how a material or a product sits within its surroundings.
Ideas
Where do ideas come from? What influences you? What do you like? My approach to my work and craft begins with a conversation and evolves from there. Listening, interpreting, asking a lot of questions, throwing in ideas and offering solutions. It’s about communication, connections and practicalities, to deliver stylish, sympathetic and well executed craftsmanship to your project. I like to see clean lines, understated elegance and most of all, balance in a building... the art is in the details.
Passion
By paying attention to the detail at each stage of your project, I strive to preserve the integrity of your property and quietly be a part of its history. From the initial conversation, through the planning, executing the work, to the completion. Each and every stage is important. With artisan skill, using modern technology and both contemporary and reclaimed materials, I work sympathetically with the fabric of the building to provide living and working space for the 21st century.
Work undertaken
Bespoke carpentry & joinery
Hand built cabinetry & wardrobes
Leaded glass repair & refurbishment
Media walls
Hardwood strip / Parquet flooring
Period mouldings & trim
Garden rooms
Glazed roof panels
Kitchen conversions
Bespoke timber wall panelling
Windows & doors
Staircases
If you have a project in mind not listed above
please get in touch to discuss
Project management
This is an area I’ve been increasingly involved in over the last 15 years. I’ll always be the first person on site in the planning stages before any works begin.
After the communication process we can then start working with the vast network of craftsmen & women, local trade’s people, national companies, conservation officers and architects to produce plans and quotations to allow you the client to enjoy the process.
Communication is at the forefront of the entire process from conception to completion. This makes for a much more relaxed build, when the client knows exactly what’s happening throughout.
Locality
Since qualifying as a time served joiner over 30 years ago, I have been fascinated and influenced by the buildings around me. I live near Lancaster, a small thriving university city containing over 300 buildings recorded in the National Heritage List for England, and the place where Robert Gillow, ship’s carpenter, founded Waring and Gillow the great Cabinet Makers. Living in Forton, I am within easy access of the Lune Valley and Morecambe Bay.
Do you have a project in mind?
There’s no commitment, pressure, or obligation.
Please get in touch.