About Us
About Us ..our story
We are Paul Trembath & Darren Pickhaver also known as T.P. Timber Stretchers - a small family run business based at the very end of Cornwall on the north coast just outside the town of St Just.
Paul has a background in Wood & construction serving his apprenticeship at Geevor Tin Mine as a Carpenter/Joiner.
Darren comes from a design background studying 3D Design at Cornwall College & Interior Design at the London College of Furniture.
Together we have over 50 years technical & practical experience between us and we can normally find a solution to most problems artists stumble over when trying to make their ideas a reality.
We revolutionised the stretcher back in 1996 when we redesigned the stretcher joint with our Sliding Dowel Joint which we patented, with this system stretchers always stay square with constant 90-degree angle to corners. Framers love our stretchers because they say it makes their life a lot easier. Click the link below to find out more about the Sliding Dowel Joint
Established in early 1996 (Which is when the above picture of us looking a lot younger & slimmer was taken) We have over 20 years’ experience and an extensive client list in Cornwall and beyond which has included artists such as the late Sandra Blow, Trevor Bell and Sir Terry Frost to name but a few.
Check out our Artists page
to see more of the people we have worked with over the years
Established in early 1996 (Which is when the above picture of us looking a lot younger & slimmer was taken) We have over 20 years experience and an extensive client list in Cornwall and beyond which has included artists such as the late Sandra Blow, Trevor Bell and Sir Terry Frost.
Our Canvases, Stretchers & Frames can be seen all over the world and have hung in many Galleries including the Tate. If only you could see behind the canvas you would be surprised how many of our stretchers are out there and how far our little T.P. Timber Stretchers Stamp has travelled.
Sir terry Frost was one of our early customers back in 1996.
Our first project for him was on the 'Rockers' he designed, and we constructed for him.
We went on to work with Sir Terry for many years making canvases, stretchers and Studio furniture for him.
Trevor Bell was another amazing Artist we had the pleasure to work with.
As he got older, he found it harder to construct the wonderful large shaped canvases he was so famous for.
So, after he moved back to the UK from America in the early 2000's he contacted us and asked if we could help.
And so, started a long and productive collaboration as we took over the construction of the shaped canvases and forms, he so loved to work on.
We got to work on many interesting shapes and forms.
Utilising our skills with Trevor’s imagination we helped him to create some amazing works of art
We worked closely with Trevor right up to his last exhibition.
As he got older, he found it harder to construct the wonderful large shaped canvases he was so famous for.
So, after he moved back to the UK from America in the early 2000's he contacted us and asked if we could help.
And so, started a long and productive collaboration as we took over the construction of the shaped canvases and forms, he so loved to work on.
We got to work on many interesting shapes and forms.
Utilising our skills with Trevor’s imagination we helped him to create some amazing works of art
We worked closely with Trevor right up to his last exhibition.
You may have seen us on TV in the documentary aired on the BBC about Kurt Jackson and the life of one of his large landscape paintings.
We made the stretcher and stretched the painting in the film.
This is Darren preparing to stretch the painting on the floor in Kurt Jackson's Studio for the BBC Film
'A Picture of the South West'
We continue to work closely with Kurt making canvases & frames for most of his exhibitions, we have worked on many of Kurt’s projects which include sculptures, sculpture bases, one off installations and even plinths & exhibition stands for his Gallery here in St Just _ The Kurt Jackson Foundation
A lot of the artists we have worked with over the years have become very good friends and we pride ourselves on always doing the best we can for you the artist, helping you to achieve your ideas & visions.
01736 788041 Workshop hours: Monday - Friday: 7:00am to 4:00pm
Deliveries throughout Cornwall every Friday.
Mail Order available for mainland UK*
We do very occasionally work out of the workshop so its always worth a quick call if your are coming over to see us to make sure someone is here.
*Restrictions apply on products over a certain size for Mail Order.