Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world, and the oldest in continuous occupation (over 900 years). Windsor Castle was first built by William the Conqueror, following his invasion of England in 1066. The original structure was built from timber with earth fortifications.

The Castle held an obvious strategic position on a steep hill overlooking the River Thames, and was part of a ring of castles around London, with the Tower of London, one day's march away, at its heart. The Castle was later rebuilt in stone, and grew in importance over the years. The Castle has remained largely unchanged since the early nineteenth century, apart from the restoration work following the fire.

The Fire of Windsor Castle took place on 20 November 1992 - ironically the 45th wedding anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. During work on some of the State Rooms in the castle, a fire broke out in the north-east part of the Castle and rapidly spread to engulf many rooms. Fortunately most treasures and works of art had been removed temporarily and so few items were lost, although over 100 rooms in the Castle were badly damaged or destroyed.

The fire took 250 fire fighters some 15 hours to extinguish. The Castle was renovated, the aim being to restore the damaged rooms to their former glory using authentic materials and craftsmanship, and was re-opened in 1997 after five years of work.

Venables played a very important role in the renovation after the fire replacing some of the architectural structure with some of the most amazing timber craftsmanship know to man to this day.

Founded by the pioneering American actor/director Sam Wanamaker, Shakespeare's Globe is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare's work, and the playhouse for which he wrote, through the connected means of education and performance. The Globe Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays. Venables constructed and supplied all the beams and timber used to create such a master piece. Air Dried Beams and kiln dried planking were used in this project and was helped constructed by our own staff.

From Roman times to the present day the site on which York Minster stands has been at the very centre of England's religious and political life. Quite what started the fire in York Minster's South Transept isn't known for sure. Because the exterior of the roof was effectively sealed with lead and the fire was well established at the only entrance to the roof void, it was impossible to tackle the fire effectively.

The large quantities of tinder dry oak in the roof burned well, and hot. Venables earned the contract and renovated the oak timbered roof after this famous disaster.

The River & Rowing Museum was designed by David Chipperfield Architects to a brief which set out to establish an astonishing Museum. The building is raised on columns above water meadows beside the Thames and is built of exposed concrete and glass with a terne coated steel roof; clad in green oak which ourselves Venables supplied. The Museum has won numerous awards for its architectural design and innovative galleries including The Royal Fine Arts Commission Building of the Year 1999 and National Heritage/NPI Museum of the Year 1999.