The Wooden Mouse: Craft and Restoration on Rochester High Street
A visit inside The Wooden Mouse on Rochester High Street, where French polishing, upholstery and furniture restoration are taught in a working workshop behind the shopfront.
On a sunny afternoon on Rochester High Street, the open door of The Wooden Mouse draws a quiet curiosity. In the window, a pair of striking upholstered chairs catch the eye, their patterned fabric bright against the street outside.
Stepping inside, a brightly coloured 1970s sofa sits alongside a pair of William Morris chairs. Their dark wood arms compliment soft green velvety fabric. Polished wood catches the light like a mirror. Everything is for sale. Everything looks tempting. The air carries a faint scent of polish, warm and slightly sweet. It takes a moment to realise what it is.
French polish.
From somewhere in the back of the building, Stuart appears with an easy energy.
“We’re a French polishing school,” he explains. “We do classes. Upholstery too.”
French polishing is Stuart’s trade. Before opening The Wooden Mouse, he spent years working in London.
“I was the head French polisher at Claridge’s.”
When asked what exactly a French polisher does, he smiles.
“In the trade we’re called magic men,” he says. “We make the scuffs and scratches disappear.”
The Wooden Mouse opened on Rochester High Street almost exactly a year ago.
“Things seem to be going well,” Stuart says.
Beyond the shopfront, the space unfolds into something much larger than it first appears. Light pours down through a glass roof in the main workshop, with mirrors placed carefully around the room to bounce brightness into the far corners. Historic fireplaces sit quietly along the walls, reminders of the building’s age.
In one area, sewing machines line a workbench, including a large industrial machine used for upholstery classes. On the opposite wall, colourful squares of fabric-covered padding form a display of work produced by students.
“The collection will grow,” Stuart says, pointing to the display.
The classes are designed not just to demonstrate technique, but to encourage people to think about the craft itself.
“I show you the technique and ask lots of questions,” he explains. “I want you to think and learn. All I ask is that you come with a pen and notebook and write everything down.”
If a student struggles with a finish, he turns the question back to them.
“If the finish isn’t what you expected, I’ll ask what you think the problem is. Look through your notes and then you’ll have that ‘ah-ha’ moment.”
The Wooden Mouse is not only a restoration workshop. The space continues to evolve as a place for making and learning.
A painting studio is planned in the front of the shop, where a local artist will teach classes. Bright pop-art paintings already hang on one wall, including a striking portrait of Jimi Hendrix.
Near the French doors at the back of the workshop, Stuart gestures towards a table beside the courtyard entrance.
“We are teaching autistic kids the craft too. They have re-rattaned this table here,” he says. “They really are doing a great job.”
Further inside, Stuart opens a set of French doors that lead into a surprisingly large courtyard.
From here the view reveals Rochester Castle rising behind the rooftops, seen from an angle few people notice while walking along the High Street.
“This is where we hold events,” he says.
Cheese and charcuterie boards are served in collaboration with The Cheese Room nearby, accompanied by drinks and conversation.
“In the summer months?” I ask.
“Any time of the year,” Stuart replies.
Back inside, Stuart leads the way into the room where most of the restoration work takes place.
“This is my space where the magic happens.”
In front of a workbench sits a large wooden chest he has been gently restoring. The sides are painted a soft sage green, while the lid gleams with a rich polished surface.
“It’s an old pine chest,” he explains, lifting the lid to reveal the pale interior wood beneath.
“I just need to lacquer the sides.”
The piece already looks transformed, somewhere between furniture and craft object, its careful restoration revealing the patience and skill behind the process.
The Wooden Mouse is more than a shop. It is a workshop, a classroom, and increasingly a place where people gather to learn traditional skills that might otherwise disappear.
From the street outside, the building gives little hint of what lies within. But step through the door and the High Street opens into a world of craft, conversation, and the quiet satisfaction of bringing old things back to life.