The mystery of manufacturing jigsaws was revealed in great detail when the Friends of Romsey Abbey were given a thorough guided tour of J H G Jigsaws on Cranborne Chase on 30 July. Owner Julie was an enthusiastic host as she demonstrated all the working machinery needed to create jigsaws on wood or cardboard.
One of only five remaining manufacturers in the UK, Grovely is proud to be the suppliers not just to esteemed customers such as the National Trust, but to King Charles himself, producing a jigsaw with one of his own paintings of Balmoral. The company specialises in producing short runs of jigsaws to a very high quality. Printing, trimming, glueing, cutting, bagging and boxing were all demonstrated by Julie and her colleagues.
The visit finished with tea and delicious home-made cake, rounding off a day which had begun with a visit to nearby Larmer Tree Gardens. This small Victorian pleasure park was complete with exotic buildings and plants, very welcome shade on a very hot day. A hot buffet lunch of pie and vegetables was enjoyed by those who partook of it, whilst other members were able to picnic in the grounds.
Another very successful and enjoyable trip.
Text and photos: Dick Hewett