About Us

C L Parker & Sons, as the name suggests, is a family affair. Father Charles founded the firm and sons Darren and Simon have followed in his footsteps.

All of us are time-served – a badge of honour for a true craftsman – and took on extra advanced training before honing our skills in the only possible way: hour after hour of working with wood.

Our constant aim is to hold buildings together with nothing but timber. No glue, no nails, and we only use steel when the structural requirements absolutely demand it. Our pride comes in using mortise and tenon joints and hand-drawn oak pegs – just the way it’s always been.

Based in rural North Yorkshire, we have many satisfied customers all over the north of England where, we’re proud to assert, absolutely nobody knows oak like we do.

Why Choose Parker Oak?

We’ve had our skills tested by the toughest taskmasters in the business – the Church of England and the rules governing listed buildings and conservation. Absolutely nothing gets past these guardians of the national heritage, and the decision to use us on projects like these is the most glowing testament we can provide for the first-rate quality of our work.

But although we’re familiar with the particular constraints of listed buildings, we’re not wedded to the past. We’re delighted to take on the challenge of giving structures a contemporary edge. Our aim, above all, is to satisfy you, the customer. And our record shows that we’re very, very good at it.

Why Green Oak?

Timber has been used as a frame for building for over 700 years – and the reasons those craftsmen chose green oak back then are the same reasons why we prefer it today.

Even though it’s a densely-grained wood, green oak is a dream to hand-tool. But despite its willingness to be shaped by chisel and plane, it retains an immense strength, whether compressed, as in wall posts, or under tension, as with roof timbers.

The gradual growth of an oak tree leaves it with curved limbs which fit in perfectly with our needs, and there’s something immensely pleasing about using nature’s design as part of our own.

If properly-built – which is why you should always call on a green-oak expert – structures made from this highly resilient timber have an indefinite life span.

And as the years pass, you’ll have the pleasure of watching the wood taking on a patina of age – turning golden indoors and silvery wherever sunlight strikes it.

Sourcing And Sustainability

A local landowner once offered us a proud and valuable oak growing in one of his fields. We turned him down flat – we’d rather see an oak standing proud and strong in the countryside where it belongs.

But there are farms, country estates and managed forests where trees are brought down by the weather or have to be thinned out for the benefit of the rest of the woodland. The people who own them know what we’re looking for – and that’s how the oak, still bark-clad and in the round, comes our way: delivered under licence and fully sustainable.

Meet The Team

DARREN PARKER

Darren trained at York college, acquiring a credited City and Guilds advanced craft certificate in carpentry and joinery, and has now attained nearly 30 years experience in the carpentry, joinery and building industry. He knows timber and construction instinctively.

Over the years Darren has designed and created a large range of oak structures. Using the natural form and shape of the oak bow or branch used, he will carefully select the logs from a large stock of bends and shapes, then mill them himself on our own Woodmizer saw mill to utilise the shape to its very best effect in the finished structure. It has been said by many that the structures Parker Oak has created are more of a sculptural work of art than just a Green Oak Frame.

Darren will be the point of contact through out your project and will be on site erecting the building and working with the team through to completion. He can advise you through the entire process from your ideas to the completion of your dream.

DARREN PARKER

The Rest Of The Team

CHARLES LESLIE PARKER

Les is the founding member of our company. He has almost sixty years experience working with timber and in the general construction industry. He is a fountain of knowledge and a highly valued member of our team, now acting as chairman.

LIAM

Liam joined our team as a school leaver at sixteen years old although he first came to work here for his work experience and got himself a Saturday job. He served a full apprenticeship here and is now a skilled carpenter, joiner and green oak framer.

JOHN

John started working for Parker Oak as a school leaver. He is working through his apprenticeship to become a carpenter, joiner and oak framer. He is learning very quickly and has already produced some fine work.

ALISTAIR

Alistair joined our team in 2014. He arrived with a lengthy wood machining knowledge and a genuine interest for learning the carpentry and oak framing side of the business. He is proving to be a competent member of our team.

NICK

With 20 years’ experience as a builder and roofer, Nick enjoyed oak framing as a hobby and wanted to take it up as a profession. He’s worked on prestigious projects including large country houses. We are delighted to have him on board.

JO

Jo is Darren’s wife, taking care of the office, admin, finances and all the important aspects of running a business. Living with Darren has given her an ever expanding knowledge of the industry, keeping things moving well behind the scenes.

Award Winning Design

Parker Oak Win York Design Awards

Parker Oak are the proud winners of York design awards in both 2012 and 2014. The aim of the awards is to encourage and promote excellence in design and conservation, striving for the highest standards which will delight present and future generations

YORK DESIGN AWARD 2014 – SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE

A new house built in two stages, starting with an unexceptional brick bungalow, but gloriously enhanced by the addition of a timber-framed upper storey in green oak. The structure benefits from the following features:

Elegant construction and detailing
Handsome living spaces
Wonderful exploiting of the view across neighbouring fields.
Beautifully fitted out

Find out more about this project on the ‘See our work‘ page.

YORK DESIGN AWARD 2012 – GARDEN ROOM

This Oak framed garden room extension was designed by our very own Darren Parker for a residential home in Upper Poppleton, York.

The design brief for this contemporary garden room was to achieve an extended partially glazed space to the kitchen in which to access and enjoy the garden.

The main structure is constructed from English green oak, with the two sections adjoining the house clad in western red cedar weather boarding and plastered internally to give wall space against which to stand furniture.

With a Hertalan flat roof system and a glazed lantern, the roof allows plenty of light through yet still achieves a very well insulated Oak building – unlike a conservatory which can be too cold in winter and far too bright and hot in summer.

What Our Clients Say

“What we have is the most beautiful timber construction. It has been admired and marvelled at by everyone who has seen it.”

Bon & Christine Pietrowski, York