Our story
Castilian Woodcraft is a business deeply rooted in tradition, craftsmanship and family. Alex Worley founded the business, and today he and his wife, Maya, run it together.
A family affair
Four generations ago, Alex’s great-grandfather restored and traded in general antiques from his shop in Purbook. Alex’s grandfather built on those skills, starting his own business from the back of a little van before growing it into two shops in Southampton. These were later taken over by Alex’s father and uncle.
This is where Alex grew up, learning the skills and craftsmanship that would eventually shape his own career. In particular, he developed a passion for traditional French polishing and a deep appreciation for the care and skill that goes into restoring and making furniture.
After seven years of working in the family business, it was time for Alex to leave the nest, just as his forefathers had done before him, and establish Castilian Woodcraft.
Castilian’s creation
The name Castilian Woodcraft comes from the street name of the first property we purchased - a small personal touch that we wanted to carry with us wherever life takes us.
The business began as a part-time venture alongside a manufacturing job, eventually becoming a full-time business just before we had our son. Drawing on my roots in antique desk restoration, I opened a small Etsy shop and began sourcing desks to restore. Over the following couple of years, this grew into bespoke furniture manufacturing alongside the restoration work we offer today.
We now specialise in custom-built media units, traditional chairs and writing desks, all designed to suit individual tastes and spaces. Our restoration services include traditional French polishing, full structural repairs, surface refinishing and colour matching, helping to revive antique furniture and give much-loved pieces a new lease of life in modern homes and offices. I also began exploring ways to bring traditional antiques in line with current trends and fashions. This inspired my range of painted desks, which I’m particularly proud to see being enjoyed and appreciated by customers.
When Maya had our son, we decided it was the right time for her to come on board and manage the online side of the business, while Alex focuses on the workshop and continues the legacy of his family’s businesses.
Today, Castilian Woodcraft is truly a family-owned and family-run business. From the workshop to the online side of things, everything we do is driven by a genuine love of furniture, traditional craftsmanship and the stories that make each piece unique.
Our mission
Our mission is simple: to build Castilian Woodcraft into a trusted name for the restoration of beautiful English antiques and the creation of high-end, bespoke furniture, combining generations of traditional craftsmanship with a personal, modern approach.
For our customers, that means knowing their furniture is in skilled and caring hands. Whether we are restoring a much-loved antique or creating a bespoke piece from scratch, our aim is to produce furniture that looks beautiful, works perfectly and is made to last.
My passion for the craft comes from my family’s history. Four generations of my family have worked with furniture and antiques, and it feels right to use that knowledge to preserve a small part of our country’s heritage. Restoring an antique isn’t simply about making an old piece look good again; it’s about giving something with history a new lease of life so it can be enjoyed for generations to come.
I want to build Castilian Woodcraft with the same long-term approach. A business my family can be proud of, a craft that can be passed on,and furniture that becomes part of our customers’ homes and stories for years to come.