Patrick Comerford
The Fenland Black Oak Table is a spectacular 13-metre table made from a section of 5,000-year-old black oak, and is ‘in residence’ in Lichfield Cathedral until Easter, with opportunities to learn about the ancient black oak from which it is made and the many centuries of history it has witnessed.
During my visit to Lichfield Cathedral, as well as taking part in the daily cycle of liturgy and prayer, and spending time at the exhibition of icons by Hanna-Leena Ward, I also spent time on Mondat afternoon viewing the ‘Table for the Nation’, which has been on display or in residency in the cathedral since last May.
The table is a magnificent piece of craftsmanship and also provides a focal point for community events, hospitality, worship, and services. Visitors are invited to discover more about the table from accompanying information panels. But is not merely an object to be looked at and admired. The table has been designed to be used and it has become a focal point for a number of events and activities throughout its year, organised by the cathedral, and by charities, businesses and community groups.
The accompanying exhibition offers insights into the project and a timeline of events across 5,000 years, and panels detail the history of black oak or bog oak and the 10-year project that turnrd the wood into a functioning table.
In her introduction to the exhibition, the Dean of Lichfield, the Right Revd Jan McFarlane, speaks of being fed at Holy Communion with ‘the living bread in whom all our hungers are satisfied’ and she points out that the table is at the heart of every church, including Lichfield Cathedral:
‘It’s a place of meeting, of hospitality, of being. It’s a constant reminder that God calls us to live in communion with him and with one another, building inclusive and welcoming communities from which no-one is excluded. It’s a reminder of God’s abundant generosity towards us, and how in response to that generous love, we’re to go out and care for our world, seeking to give rather than expecting to receive.’
The Fenland Black Oak Table is made from a 5,000 year old tree and Dean McFarlane sees it as a reminder of ‘the wonder of God’s creation and the future of our fragile world, together with our responsibility to care for, and conserve, it for future generations. And as we reflect on the skill of those who have created such a stunningly beautiful table we can be gently challenged to consider the impact our lives, our actions, and the right use of our God-given gifts, might have on those around us.’ She sees the table’s place in the cathedral ‘as a constant reminder of all of this, and as a meeting place for feasting, conversation and gentle challenge.’
The Jubilee Oak Table was made from a 5,000-year-old sub-fossilised black oak tree found in the Fens. It is believed the tree was originally more than 55 metres tall, before falling into the peat where it lay undisturbed for 5,000 years. By comparison, a present-day oak tree is around 20 metres high. The project was 10 years in the making with a team of furniture makers, led by the project leader, Hamish Low, the lead designer Mauro Dell’Orco and the craftsman, Steve Cook.
The Fenland Black Oak project carefully dried and processed the wood and worked with designers to find the best way to preserve the rare discovery. They chose a table as it allowed the wood to be kept at its full length, and to be viewed in all its glory.
This unique example of black oak is one of the rarest forms of timber in the world. It was discovered in 2012, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, during routine cultivations on a farm in the Wissington Fens in south-west Norfolk. After its discovery, a team of specialist craftspeople successfully milled and dried 10 beautiful, consecutive planks that were unlike anything ever seen before.
The Jubilee Oak Table was designed to display the length of those planks, and to illustrate and evoke the sense of wonder at the scale of the ancient high forests. This effect was achieved by reducing the visual impact of the under-structure. The design of the top has remained sympathetic to the integrity of the Jubilee Oak. The planks have retained their full length and techniques were developed to enable their individual shapes to be highlighted.
The table has only two pairs of narrowly shaped pedestals joined by a long and slender curved spine that cantilevers by more than three meters at each end. Fourteen ribs are fixed each side of the spine to support the planks. The material is bronze, chosen for its embodied permanence and archaeologists fix it in a transitional period between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. The bridge construction is both functional, to support the top with the minimum number of parts, and metaphorical, to cross 5,000 years of history.
Because of the length and size of the table, size, the two outer planks can be folded down reducing the width of the table to just 900 mm. Twelve sets of casters positioned under the pedestals allow it to be moved silently and by just two people.
The project was completed in 2022, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and the table was unveiled at Ely Cathedral by Princess Anne on 17 May 2022. It remained at Ely Cathedral until February 2023, then had a year’s residency at Rochester Cathedral from March 2023, and in Lincoln Cathedral from April 2024 as part of ‘Our World; God’s Creation’, a year-long celebration of sustainability, communities and the environment. King Charles visited Lichfield Cathedral in October 2025 to see the table.
The Fenland Black Oak Table – a ‘Table for the Nation’ – has inspired ‘Come to The Table’, this year’s Lent Course at Lichfield Cathedral. The course on Wednesdays in Lent runs from 25 February to 1 April. It explores how Jesus brings healing, builds community and gathers people together around the table. The weekly sessions, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, include open discussion and space to reflect on how we might become a force for good in a community in need of faith, hope, and love.
• ‘A Table for the Nation’ is in residency at Lichfield Cathedral until Easter.
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