Scarning born & bred Carl Preston, recently unveiled a bas-relief sign he made for Abel Homes to mark the completion of the newly-created Panhard Drive in Gressenhall. The sign is a 3’ x 2’ solid piece of oak featuring a carving of an 1899 Panhard car, which is believed to be the oldest working car in Norfolk and is currently housed at the Gressenhall Museum of Norfolk Life.
Carl first started carving wood when he met his wife Valerie more than 30 years ago. Stuck for ideas about what to get her for Christmas, he decided to make a cat out of a piece of wood. Since then, he has branched out in his hobby, working in metal as well as wood, making things ranging from jewellery to weathervanes. He creates the pieces in his shed-workshop at his home in Scarning, and he and Val recently opened their garden to the public on June 27th.
His first professional commission came in 2014 when Abel Homes approached him to make a carved sign for their Oak Meadow development in Shipdham, with the recent sign for Gressenhall being the second he has made for Abel Homes.
