White Carpentry School

White carpentry (“La carpintería de lo blanco”) is a technique that from the 13th century to the 18th century made possible the construction of the roof trusses and wooden coffered ceilings that are present in thousands of religious and civic buildings in Spain. The “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School in Narros del Castillo was created to teach this lost trade to the next generations of carpenters, architects, restorers and other professionals related to the conservation of heritage, ensuring its transmission to the next generation.

The White Carpentry School is supported by the City Council of Narros del Castillo with the use of their premises and other in-kind support.

The loss of expertise in the intangible heritage of “carpintería de lo blanco” posed a great challenge for restoration and new construction projects which would remain faithful to the traditional rules of the trade. Founded in 2014, the school in Narros del Castillo aims to bridge this gap in expertise, being the only training centre in the world dedicated exclusively to teaching white carpentry.

Each year, four training courses take place, with 20 students enrolling in each course. The training is mostly free-of-charge with a small contribution requested from students helping to cover the costs of the materials necessary for each course, and for the creation of the didactic models that are the objects of study.

The school provides a programme of theoretical and practical content that encompasses the techniques historically used in white carpentry, from the point of view of design, layout and execution, implemented to allow the students to achieve mastery in the trade.

Some of the students have gone on to work on the restoration of Spanish-Islamic roof trusses, while others have incorporated structural and decorative aspects of Mudejar carpentry into their work. As a result of the “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School’s activities, several university teachers have added white carpentry to their training programmes, which until recently had been missing from formal study programmes.

The school makes great efforts to also raise awareness of the craft on a wider scale. To this end, the initiators have travelled to many towns that have exceptional examples of white carpentry, to share the history of the trade and the carpenters who built them, and to offer training when requested.

 

“The White Carpentry School in Narros del Castillo is a bottom-up initiative created and driven by skilled craftspeople. By offering hands-on training, the school supports the ongoing understanding of this important carpentry technique and helps to preserve a disappearing craft which is relevant to many parts of Europe and beyond. A part of the traditional carpentry technique works with small section sizes, leading to a very economical use of timber, demonstrating the sustainable use of natural materials in heritage crafts”, the Awards’ Jury emphasised.

“They have achieved truly admirable results with a modest budget. Located in a small village, they have been able to stimulate local activism in the heritage field and have created job possibilities in the region”, the Jury said.

Contact: Angel María Martín López, Escuela de Carpintería de lo Blanco de Narros del Castillo | angelmariamartinlopez@gmail.com | www.carpinteriamudejardelamoraña.com