About Us
With a family history of working with ancient buildings and 40 years of experience in bespoke and traditional joinery, we use well-researched artisanal methods combined with appropriate modern technologies to achieve beautiful results.
We are not just about stunning joinery, we are about getting it right. That means paying attention to the little details others might miss and making sure every piece fits and belongs.
Whether reviving a centuries old window or crafting something completely new, our approach is always the same: care, precision, and a deep respect for the methods, historic fabric and materials we work with.
As can be seen across this site, we produce timber work ranging from simple windows and doors to highly technical joinery. Our portfolio spans from the ancient to the modern. Traditional buildings often feature implements and ornaments of daily life made from wood. Carefully crafted doors, windows, staircases, mouldings, and similar elements evoke the ambience we seek to preserve or create.
Our workshops can accurately reproduce the joinery required to complete your project. Additionally, when features must adhere to today’s environmental and lifestyle standards, we will discover an elegant and effective solution.
You won’t find anything off the shelf here. Every project starts with a conversation, a sketch, and a shared vision. Then we bring it to life using time-honoured techniques and innovative, modern thinking.
Brand new items can be designed with the subtle proportions of bygone ages. Alternatively, ultra-modern styling can combine with the same high-quality construction and finish.
History
David grew up surrounded by his father’s passions for historic buildings and archaeology. The journals of the Kent Archaeological Society and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, along with Autosport magazine and the Vintage Motorcycle Club, were staples at the breakfast table.
Nurtured in this environment, David has been designing, researching and exercising his craft since childhood. He realised that attention to the finest detail creates an ambience that many people feel and appreciate even if they don’t know why. This understanding underpinned a developing set of design principles. Joinery tends toward detail and has historically created detailed shapes that transcend the “form follows function” idea. David wanted complete control over this level of detail within his design palette.
In the end, it was probably inevitable that David and his wife, Sally Swift, established the Old Period Property Shop, where you can find some very special windows, doors, wall coverings, staircases, kitchens, and many other fittings and fixtures. All of these carry the artisanal mark of craftsmanship and reflect David’s deep respect and love for the traditions and skills of the past.
Feel free to browse www.periodproperty.uk.com to explore some of the beautifully crafted work that David, Sally, and the PPCLTD team have brought to life.
David’s father, Julian, now in retired, has built an exceptional reputation due to his passion for exacting and sympathetic renovation and conservation. He has dedicated his entire life to this work with period buildings. Julian has trained a dynasty of tradespersons, craftsmen, and women, as well as professionals, to the highest standards of work. Many of these individuals have gone on to start their own successful businesses in the field.
Last but not least, a visit to www.julianswift.com offers a broad showcase of David’s design and craft work in its final setting. In collaboration with his father, brother, and sister, he has played a central role in the design, research, and conservation planning. Efforts that have directly informed and inspired the joinery crafted by him and his team.
