Vastern Timber, the Royal Wootton Bassett-based sawmill, has won a major national award for one of its key products.
The firm’s jointed British sweet chestnut cladding came top in the Best Cladding System category at the Build It Awards held recently in London.
Family-owned Vastern Timber, which also operates a sawmill at Studley, near Chippenham, is the leading supplier of British sweet chestnut cladding, supplying builders merchants. The product, which has the aesthetic of oak, also has significant environmental benefits. 
Vastern Timber managing director Tom Barnes, pictured, said: “The product is hugely important as one that entirely supports our own domestic timber industry, which has suffered for many years from timber imports. The wood comes from well-managed, sustainable sources and it makes for a beautiful and superior cladding system.
“Vastern Timber is committed to the domestic forestry and woodland industries, so we consider this award to be one that is shared between the entire British industry and supply chain.
“Through choosing British timber over imported timber, people can be assured that they are making the sustainable choice, not just for the environment, but for the British forestry and timber industries and the domestic communities that rely on them.”
Established in in 1904, Vastern is one of the largest British hardwood sawmills in the country, specialising in cutting and manufacturing native grown timbers including English oak, sweet chestnut, ash, sycamore and larch. It is owned and run by three members of the Barnes family – Peter, Jon and Tom – who represent the third and fourth generations of family.
Last year it supplied wood for two restoration projects at the Tower of London – the reinstatement of the historic building’s drawbridge and furniture for the restoration of its iconic Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula.
