All posts by Peter

Animals

Wooden Animals

PAINTED WOODEN ANIMALS

Wooden Animals

Wooden Animals – Main List

The main list of my wooden animals contains those animals made from a solid block of lime wood and are thus robust enough to withstand vigorous play.  Choose animals from this list as per my guide price for Ark sets. You can of course pick where you like.  Many customers build up their sets over a period of time and I post them a pair of animals each month or on special occasions. Prices and details…

Each wooden animal is individual.

The handcrafted wooden arks I make are all unique and can be customised to your specifications. Each wooden Noah’s Ark set is individual and can be selected from within my existing range of ark designs. I have over 100 different pairs of animals and the list continues to grow.

I also take commissions and have created everything from the exotic and the extinct to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home.

For more information, photographs and how to order click here…

 

Hand carved, my wooden animals are tactile and painted in realistic colours.

David uses local sustainable wood chosen for its lightness and smooth finish, transforming the blocks of wood into simple but instantly recognisable whales, using as few cuts as possible before refining the shape and finishing these whales off with mirror finish paintwork. “It’s all about economy of design,” he says.

Visit us on Instagram

Arks

Bespoke Handmade Wooden Toys

Bespoke Wooden Noah's Ark Toy

The handcrafted, bespoke wooden arks I make are all unique and can be customised to your own specifications.

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of animals.  The list continues to grow.  Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets.

For more information, photographs and how to order click here…

Bespoke Wooden Toys

Arks In Mixed Wood
Painted Arks
Super Arks
Wooden Animals

My wooden Noah’s Ark sets were inspired by the traditional ones I first saw in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood,  Like those, mine are hand-made and richly painted, designed to be pleasing to the eye and hand, and strong enough to withstand vigorous play.

I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home. Contact for details

Visit us on Instagram

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Arks

Unicorns – A Poem ‘Two by Two’

Recently a customer from many years ago got in touch with us and after further correspondence it turns out that she had written this poem about the unicorns I had sent her.

Two by Two

Ok ok so I didn’t climb into your ark,
but it wasn’t only me remember?
Two by two down into the dark.
Anyway, we are rather afraid
of dark.

Creatures of light, unicorns
dance and dazzle nearer God than man.
And I tell you something
HE was not happy with mankind
except for you Noah.

We tried to be good, we meant to obey.
If only the sun hadn’t shone so brightly
or the queue been quite as long, slithering,
plodding and creeping in to safety
and darkness.

Oh that noise! The cacophony of all creation
after the peace of mountain tops
where only we could be heard. Alone.
Praising God, celebrating life
and light.

Forgive me for mentioning it, but consider the stench.
The flank by flank, the side by side,
the ox lying down with the ass of it all.
“We love you God. But NO!’ we thought
“But no.”

So we danced in the last light of our world,
ate fresh green shoots, pranced
and galloped on the highest mountain
as the flood washed us away into legend
with our Earth.

Shame we missed the rainbow, the promise,
the dove of peace, the olive branch.
Tell me, these new people, do they remember?
Do they cherish their Earth?
Do they dance forever
in peace?

Sue Gordon, Sandwich Bay

My wooden Noah’s Ark sets were inspired by the traditional ones I first saw in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood,  Like those, mine are hand-made and richly painted, designed to be pleasing to the eye and hand, and strong enough to withstand vigorous play.

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of animals.  The list continues to grow.  Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home. Contact for details

Visit us on Instagram

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Arks

Handmade Noah’s Arks in Mixed Wood | Handcrafted #woodentoys #handmade

Handmade Wooden Ark

Handmade Noah’s Ark in Natural Wood

All my Ark sets are handmade in the workshop at the bottom of my garden in Devon. The ‘Ark Set in Mixed Woods’ is a collection of 12 pairs of animals whose character is best expressed by the rounded forms and natural decorative qualities of the woods. The Ark set is a library of woods, mostly locally sourced.  Among those I use are pitch pine, black walnut, apple, pear, magnolia, sapele, sycamore, oak, yew, cherry.  sourced.   The Ark is made from ‘clearer and better’ Columbian pine, and a roof and the house lift off. The set is finished in beeswax which serves to enhance and protect the surface of the different timbers. With each ark I include a list of the woods in that particular set. Through handling, the collection becomes a means of identifying the different woods.

Size 20” x 13” x 7”

Contact for details

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

My wooden Noah’s Ark sets were inspired by the traditional ones I first saw in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood,  Like those, mine are hand-made and richly painted, designed to be pleasing to the eye and hand, and strong enough to withstand vigorous play.

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of animals.  The list continues to grow.  Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home.

Visit us on Instagram

Arks

Doves Frieze Ark | Handmade | Handcrafted in Wood #woodentoys #ark #noah

Hand painted Noah's ark

This hand painted Noah’s ark incorporates the dove and olive branch motif from the biblical story of Noah.  I identify my various arks by their frieze.  All the traditional arks are based on medieval German houses with tiled roofs, the frieze above the windows and stone quoins that reinforce the corners of the buildings.

My hand-painted animals celebrate nature’s rich variety of pattern, stripes, spots, camouflage and decoration.

As a guide I have priced this hand painted Noah’s ark with 12 pairs from the main list of animals, but you can have as many or as few as you like.  The ark is made from Columbian pine, and a roof and the house lift off.  The animals are in lime wood, decorated using non-toxic paint and varnish.

Size: 20” x 13” x 7”
The ark can be inscribed with the recipient’s name

Contact for details

“I made my first Noah’s Ark when my daughter was small, and the one-off became a life’s work.” To read more click here…

Handmade Noah’s Arks made from locally sourced materials in Devon. Individually designed and handcrafted. Unique Noah’s Arks in wood, made in the UK.

“…when modelling a Mixed Woods Ark, special attention is giving to the animal’s  faces, to give them a real sense of character. What makes me happiest is all the correspondence I receive from parents saying how much their children love playing with my toys.”

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Visit us on Instagram

Arks

Wooden Flowers Frieze Ark | Handcrafted | Painted | Noah’s Ark

Flower Frieze Ark

Wooden Noah’s Ark

Whilst keeping to a traditional formula for wooden ark decoration, this uses a brighter and more modern colour scheme that makes the most of the warmth of the Columbian pine on the roof and boat.  This is the only one of my wooden arks that I finish in a matt varnish

As a guide I have priced the Ark with 10 pairs from the main list, but you can have as many or as few as you like.  A roof and the house lift off.  The animals are in lime wood, decorated using non-toxic paint and varnish.

Size: 20” x 13” x 7”
The ark can be inscribed with the recipient’s name.

Contact for details

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

My wooden Noah’s Ark sets were inspired by the traditional ones I first saw in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood,  Like those, mine are hand-made and richly painted, designed to be pleasing to the eye and hand, and strong enough to withstand vigorous play.

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of  wooden animals.  The list continues to grow.  Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home.

David Plagerson’s ark sets could be bought ready painted like this example or unpainted with a beeswax finish.

Many customers build up their sets over a period of time. Usually they start with an Ark and I post them a pair of animals each month.

“…when modelling a wooden toy, special attention is giving to the animal’s  faces, to give them a real sense of character. What makes me happiest is all the correspondence I receive from parents saying how much their children love playing with my toys.”

Reviews

Reviews – David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Reviews

Read Reviews

Click on titles below to see the reviews:

Country Life – December 2020 – Girls and Boys and Their Wooden Toys

“Our understanding about sustainable wood is improving,” assures David Plagerson, who makes exquisite, hand-carved toys from his garden workshop in Devon. “I buy my wood from a farmer in Dartmoor who seasons his own timber….” Read more here

Visit and subscribe to: Country Life Magazine

This England – Winter 2018 – Made in England

“Artists are often pictured in their studios surrounded by half-worked canvas, paint-splattered furniture and a whole assortment of materials – and David Plagerson’s studio is no different. The air is thick with the aroma of varnish and paint; the whole space is crammed with paint pots, rough hog-hair brushes and a mishmash of containers….” Read more here

Country Life – November 27th 2013 – Meet the real elves

“Although his creations are miniature works of art, he hates the thought of them not being played with. If they end up getting a bit bashed, I can always re-sand and paint them. He uses as many as 17 types of wood when modelling his Mixed Woods Ark sets and pays special attention to giving their faces a real sense of character. What makes me happiest is all the correspondence I receive from parents saying how much their children love playing with my toys….” Read more here

Country Living – December 2008 – Toys to Treasure

“People who buy my toys care about aesthetics and children’s play, and usually love the idea of the toys being passed down through families,” says David, as he begins to dot the eyes on a bashful-looking donkey. “I sometimes do have to encourage people not to be precious about them because there’s no need. They’re totally child-proof…” Read more here

Reviews:

In a wooden shed at the bottom of a rambling garden in Totnes, Devon, a snowy-haired man is whittling away at a wooden block that he is slowly carving into a small donkey. It is mid-winter, but inside it’s warm and cosy, and all that is needed is the sound of jingling bells and the whinny of a reindeer for it to feel just like the Santa’s workshop of a child’s imagination.

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of animals. The list continues to grow. Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home.

Many customers build up their sets over a period of time. Usually they start with an Ark and I post them a pair of animals each month.

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Animals, Other Toys

Order early for Christmas – Handcrafted Christmas Gifts

Why not commission a handmade wooden toy for Christmas?

Christmas Gift

It is never too early to order an original handmade Christmas gift from us. Why not order a complete Noah’s wooden ark or a single animal to give a loved one a unique Christmas treasure, something that will be cherished forever. Each wooden toy is handcrafted and made from the finest sourced timbers.

Very young children who are just acquiring language love to name the different animals; older ones enjoy pairing, classifying, making arrangements, creating farms, zoos, boats, and all sorts of homes from their arks. The Noah’s Ark as a story and a toy have stood the test of time. Hand-crafted toys are slow to make but their life expectancy is very long. The ark and animals continue as prized decorative objects ready for visitors and the next generation of players.

My wooden Noah’s Ark sets were inspired by the traditional ones I first saw in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, Like those, mine are hand-made and richly painted, designed to be pleasing to the eye and hand, and strong enough to withstand vigorous play.

Handmade Toys

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of animals. The list continues to grow. Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home.

Many customers build up their sets over a period of time. Usually they start with an Ark and I post them a pair of animals each month.

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Arks

Handmade Wooden Ark- Noah’s Ark toy

Super Stalls Wooden Ark

Handmade Wooden Arks

The Stalls Ark is a large scale handmade wooden ark, made in natural wood and offers the maximum play value. Children love the containment offered by the individual stalls with their removable gates.  The stalls are revealed when panels on the roof, house and boat are removed and provide a wonderful way of displaying the animals with their heads peering out.   As a guide I have priced the Ark with 12 pairs from the main list, but you can have as many or as few as you like.  The ark is made from Columbian pine and house and boat are independent units.  The animals are in lime wood, decorated using non-toxic paint and varnish.  The ark is finished in beeswax which serves to enhance and protect the wood.

Size 30” x 15” x 8”
The ark can be inscribed with the recipient’s name.

Price Here

Each Noah’s Ark set is an individual selection from within my existing range of ark designs, and over 100 different pairs of animals. The list continues to grow. Both children and adults have asked me to create everything from exotic, extinct and mythical animals, to family pets. I can also make bespoke arks, based on your own home.

“I made my first handmade Wooden Ark when my daughter was small, and the one-off became a life’s work.” To read more click here…

Handmade Noah’s Arks made from locally sourced materials in Devon. Individually designed and handcrafted. Unique Noah’s Arks in wood, made in the UK.

Many customers build up their sets over a period of time. Usually they start with an Ark and I post them a pair of animals each month.

“…when modelling a Painted Ark, special attention is giving to the animal’s  faces, to give them a real sense of character. What makes me happiest is all the correspondence I receive from parents saying how much their children love playing with my toys.”

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

Animals

Whales – Handmade Wooden Whales

Carved wooden whales

Hand carved, my wooden whales are tactile and painted in realistic colours.

David uses local sustainable wood chosen for its lightness and smooth finish, transforming the blocks of wood into simple but instantly recognisable whales, using as few cuts as possible before refining the shape and finishing these whales off with mirror finish paintwork. “It’s all about economy of design,” he says.

Contact us for prices.

Originally trained as a painter, David worked as an art teacher in East London, where he was inspired by the Bangladeshi refugee children he encountered there,

“They taught me about simplicity of design, strength of colour and fluidity of brush strokes.”

Animals and other toys may also be commissioned. Cats, Dogs, Whales and Ponies are particular specialities.

The Whales and Jonah - Hand Carved in wood

“I made my first handmade Wooden Ark when my daughter was small, and the one-off became a life’s work.” To read more click here…

Handmade wooden toys made from locally sourced materials in Devon. Individually designed and handcrafted. Unique Noah’s Arks in wood, made in the UK.

Many customers build up their sets over a period of time. Usually they start with an Ark and I post them a pair of animals each month.

“…when modelling a wooden toy, special attention is giving to the animal’s  faces, to give them a real sense of character. What makes me happiest is all the correspondence I receive from parents saying how much their children love playing with my toys.”

David Plagerson Handcrafted Noah’s Arks

The Whale and Jonah

The story of a man trapped in a whale: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes a reference to Jonah when he is asked for a miraculous sign by the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Jesus says that the sign will be the sign of Jonah. Jesus implies that Jonah’s restoration after three days inside the great whale prefigures His own resurrection.