William Skinner & Son have been contracted to design and build two tree houses for de Vere Venues at their Theobalds Park and Warbrook House sites. These will be used as additional meeting and lecture rooms, providing extra accommodation at little cost.

De Vere Venues was founded in 1978 and is the UK market leader in the provision of dedicated residential training and conference venues.

It is expected that when these prove to be successful they will lead to the installation of many more tree houses at other sites – and the exposure of so many delegates from other companies to such a novel experience is expected to result in more inquiries from those looking for something different yet practical.

The proposed sites have already attracted media attention, and it is expected that they will feature prominently in William Skinner and Son’s promotion of this new part of their business.

Tree houses have, of course, been used for many years – as offices, play rooms, workshops, studios, tearooms, spare bedrooms. Whereas they might once have been seen as expensive, eccentric and extravagant, current building costs and the availability of new materials have resulted in their becoming a practical alternative to conventional construction.

Anyone interested in seeing existing designs is invited to contact Derek Saunderson directly on 01292 671188 or at: