Bog Oak

Bog oak is oak that has been buried in a peat bog for hundreds or thousands of years. Anaerobic conditions in the bog preserve the wood and protect it from decay, and iron salts and other minerals dissolved in the acidic bog water combine with tannins in the wood to give it its distinctive dark brown or black colour. This stain gets darker and darker as time goes on in a process that eventually leads to pure blackness and coal-like petrification.

This particular sample is thought to be 4500 years old and was donated by film maker Richard Foot of R&A Collaborations. It was collected from Laurence Brand, a contemporary designer-maker based in Lancashire, who uses various native timbers, including bog oak, to make beautiful boxes and vessels. Laurence begins his process by sourcing the wood (felling the tree or finding the bog oak) and then seeks out the most pleasing grain and figure in the wood, combining it with brass and leather in a finished design.