Alan Peters RIP

My first training in furniturewas at Shrewsbury college training under Hugh Scriven. He made us aware or Rupert Williamson, John Makepeace, Fred Baier and of course Alan Peters. We all had varying opinions on the others but Alan was beyond reproach. There was hardly a point of critisism, barely an angle you could critisize his work from. We as students all looked up to him, not only for his work but for his updating of Ernest Joyce The Techniques of Furniture Making. There were 2 furniture making OBEs , Alan and John Makepeace. Alan was the last direct connection to the arts and crafts movement. His training gave him an authority few could question. I only met Alan 3 times. When , at my last copllege High Wycombe, our external assessor was Alan Peters. He looked at my work and approved. He patted me on the back. This human contact meant more to me than my first class honours, my commendations in design and in cabinet making. I only met him again twice whilst exhibbitting alongside him and, though furniture making royalty he remembered me and treated me with the same respect I payed him. There were no affectations, no superiority just a straight man to man bus queue conversation. A truly great loss to the world and after the 'Furniture Futures' symposium at the V and A perhaps he stepped out of the world at the right time. The era of celebrity would have been anathema to Alan. He was always just an honest furniture maker, creating objects he believed in and knew to be good.
Jeremy Broun has spent many hours with Alan in his winter days and has produced a significant DVD and book looking back over what can only be disgribed as a legend of design and craft. This timely work will be the seminal tribute to a truly unique mans work and I would encourage anyone to purchase a copy. I'm not sure of the direct link though guess a google search of Jeremy Broun Alan Peters would get you there.
An entire movement is indebted to the work of Alan Peters.