The Selborne by Steve Charles

Inspired by the view from his beautiful garden in the village of Selborne in the South Downs, a landscape peppered with evidence of thousands of years of flint mining, Steve had an ingenious idea. Not only is flint a beautiful material but it has also been associated with the creation of fire itself, since the stone age, and so the idea of a chimneypiece made of high polished flint, felt irresistible.

Steve has been renowned worldwide for years as a pioneer in creating surfaces by combining beautiful natural materials and exquisite craftsmanship. In this case collaborating with fireplace expert Paul Chesney and employing highly-skilled Indian craftsmen from Jaipur, enabled him to bring his idea to life.

Small slices of flint were polished and veneered, before being seamlessly spliced together using a traditional Italian technique ‘Comesso’, derived from the better known Pietra Dura, a technique commonly seen in souvenirs from the 17^th and 18^th Century Grand Tours. The result, set in simple but striking panels of Portland stone, is an entirely new application for flint and offers a lustrous finish, full of movement, light and colour.