Responsible landscape architects, specifiers and end users need to be enlightened as to the facts concerning Teakwood outdoor furnishings. These products, as with any wood product, utilize either sustainable timber sources (responsibly managed plantations) or unsustained natural forests. Recently, the International Tropical Timber Organization admitted that only 0.2% of tropical timber entering the global market originated from sources sustainable under current forms of management. The primary source for sustainable Teakwood is Java. Barlow Tyrie, an English company, is the oldest and largest manufacturer of Teakwood leisure furnishings, and has purchased only Teak harvested from sustainable sources (responsibly-managed, government-controlled plantations) for over 15 years. Due to our position as a manufacturer, we are one of the only suppliers able to control our timber resources. Specifiers must realize that of all the companies selling this type of product in the United States, very few are the actual manufacturer and thus, have no control over their timber source. Most of these products are manufactured in Thailand, a nation which has recently halted the legal cutting of Teak. Their manufacturers have, therefore, turned to other sources, the primary being Burma. According to timber merchants, who are acutely aware of their sources, there are few sustained sources of mature Teakwood in Burma, so most Burmese Teak is taken from the natural forest, with limited replanting.

Specifiers and buyers alike must ask several questions of their sources: are they only distributors or are they manufacturers? What is the country of origin of the product? If they are manufacturers, are their timber sources approved by environmental groups? It is very important to note that Barlow Tyrie is the only manufacturer of Teakwood leisure furniture granted the “Seal of Approval” by the international environmental group “Friends of the Earth” (U.K.), due to our long standing policy of using only sustainable Teakwood sources and our ability to document it.

Genuine Teak (Tectona Grandis) has been recognized as the most valuable timber in the world in exterior applications for well over two centuries. No other product can match its combination of strength and pleasing appearance, with extreme durability and stability. This is why Teak has been the choice hardwood from shipbuilding to outdoor furnishings. It is highly rot-resistant and requires no maintenance beyond occasional cleaning. Our firm, Barlow Tyrie, has utilized Teakwood exclusively since we were founded in 1920. No other product lends itself to a natural setting as well; its traditional design and aesthetic beauty is unequaled. Accepted worldwide, our products have been specified for use in the Museum D’Orsay, Paris; the British Museum, London; numerous royal parks; and countless other prestigious locations. Due to our size and position, we are able to purchase timber fully a year ahead of production, thus keeping our selection and inventory levels above our competitors.

As in our early years, our company still feels quality is of the greatest importance. Our circular tree seat, constructed entirely of shaped components, illustrates well the expertise of craftsmen employed by our firm.

As long as specifiers and buyers understand their responsibility to fully source their requirements from sustainable forest products, there will be no need to turn to other, perhaps less traditional, less aesthetically, pleasing and more maintenance-requiring products. Request information from your suppliers concerning origin of their products and what environmental organization, if any, has approved of their product. You will, thereby, ensure yourself of ecologically sound furnishings produced by a recognized and reputable manufacturer.

About Barlow Tyrie:

Immediately after the First World War, an English ex-serviceman, Mr. Victor Tyrie, undertook a government-sponsored trainingprogram in cabinet making. He then joined the old established firm of Castles Shipbreakers; one of the original manufacturers of garden furniture from battleship teak and after a year of sponsored work experience with that company, started a partnership with three other ex-servicemen from modest premises in London. After a short period of making various products, two of the partners left, and in 1920, Mr. Tyrie, together with Mr. Frederick Barlow, began manufacturing teakwood garden furniture to the highest standards of quality for both private and contract use. During the following years, they produced a great variety of teakwood garden furniture which continued until production was halted by the start of the Second World War.

The Barlow Tyrie production facility now extends to 60,000 sq. ft. with a further 2S,000 sq. ft. due for completion in 1989. While there are several companies in England and now the Far East manufacturing outdoor furniture in teak, Barlow Tyrie is not only the oldest but the largest such producer. A substantial part of the increased sales is due to active promotion in export markets, including major European countries, North America, Australia and the West Indies.

As in the early years, the company still feels quality is of the greatest importance, and although they no longer produce many special items, they still have the craftsmen and expertise to do so when required. This was illustrated by the half hexagon seat they made, which is now in Windsor Great Park, a gift to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth by The National Garden Scheme at the time of her Silver jubilee. The inscription on this seat was carved by Frederick Appleton, the founder and present Master of the Essex Guild of Woodcarvers. Barlow Tyrie is fortunate to have the services of such a talented man to carve by hand the inscriptions requested by customers.

In 1986, Mr. Tyrie correctly identified the potential market in North America for fine, well-crafted teak garden furniture. To meet demand, he formed Barlow Tyrie, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to distribute their products throughout the United States and Canada from an office and warehouse at Malvern, Pennsylvania. Large stocks are held there to ensure the prompt supply of customer?EUR??,,????'???s orders, which are quickly and efficiently processed by use of the same computer systems as the parent company.

Barlow Tyrie has earned a reputation throughout England and Europe as the finest manufacturer of teakwood garden furniture; this reputation is now growing in North America.