The Grand Victorian Door Company
An oak tree doesn’t just appear out of fresh air. Nurtured by the elements, it grows slowly, matures and becomes strong. That’s how I see The Grand Victorian Door Company.
When I was a kid...
I remember my dad letting me help him in the cellar of our Victorian house in Manchester, with something he was fixing. I’d help him by being distracted. Quite vividly, I recall gently breaking apart a Matchbox car, a Beetle; I wanted to know how it worked. I needed to know what was inside. Then I would put it back together again.
Leaving that house, I was four years old!
I always wanted to fix something, make things better.
My dad told me, as a young man, growing up on a farm in Mayo, Ireland, he’d make furniture. It was terrific, he said, seeing every day, people relaxing on or eating at something you’d made. See them hiding away treasures or resting a family photo on a piece of furniture you’d crafted.
A passion for art and woodwork
I also felt a passion for creating things.
After leaving school, I studied engineering at Uni. Instead of getting a job in engineering, I went to college to learn how to make classical musical instruments, like the guitar and the viola d’amore.
I made hardwood doors and windows, ran a glass shop for a few years, and then a gallery in the countryside.
Returning to Manchester, I needed a new start.
When you run your own business, hopefully, you have the flexibility to steer its destiny toward something you love doing and feel a great passion for.
I’ve converted dirty Victorian lofts into beautiful bedrooms, created kitchens that look like those unbelievable photos you see in magazines, I’ve even made an oak dance floor.
Grand Victorian
My business headed to the front door, new ones and restorations. It became The Grand Victorian Door Company.
Our small family run business takes on about twenty-five front doors each year, doing the very best it can to make them unique and beautiful.
The Grand Victorian Workshop and our home are in Lancashire. I’m married to Teresa, we have four kids and a dog.
My other passion is the outdoors. I completed the Wainwright fells of the Lake District, and became a Mountain Leader, in 2016. I love wild camping and take people out on expeditions in England, Scotland and Wales.
Since you got this far, and thanks by the way, why don’t you just give me a ring for a chat about your front door or whatever I can help you with. My number is 07789553366.
You can also follow our work on our Facebook and Instagram pages.