Six decades. Three generations. One workshop.
Joinery in Barnard Castle Since 1966
Atkinson Joiners Ltd has been producing purpose-made timber joinery from Barnard Castle since 1966. We work on the kind of jobs that need experience behind them — older properties, period homes, listed buildings, and joinery that can't be sourced off the shelf.
Over 60 Years of Local Joinery Experience
Heritage Work Done Properly
A Workshop Built For This Kind of Work
About Atkinsons Joiners Ltd
We're a family-run joinery workshop based in Barnard Castle, and we've been doing this since 1966.
Most of our work involves producing timber joinery that can't be bought off the shelf — purpose-made doors, windows, sash windows, and restoration work for older and heritage properties across Teesdale.
If you're looking for a joiner who takes the time to get things right, particularly on older or more complex buildings, you're in the right place.
Our Story
Stan Atkinson left school in 1956 and began his apprenticeship with George Browning's joinery business at Coach & Horses Yard in Barnard Castle. In 1966, he purchased the business — and Atkinsons Joiners was born.
Working across Barnard Castle and the wider Teesdale area, Stan built a reputation based entirely on the quality of his work and word of mouth recommendations.
In the mid-1980s, his sons Tony and Graeme left school and started their apprenticeships alongside their father, carrying the business forward as a genuine family trade.
In 2010, the company moved from its original Coach & Horses Yard premises into a purpose-built workshop on Montalbo Road, giving the team the space to take on larger and more complex projects.
This year marks our 60th year in business. We're still based in Barnard Castle, still working the same way, and still producing work we're proud of.
Pictured: Stan Atkinson (right) with Ray Davenport, the man who trained him.
The Workshop
Our workshop on Montalbo Road is where all of our joinery is manufactured.
Over the decades, we've built up a substantial collection of specialist machinery and tooling — including an extensive range of profile cutters, many of which were made specifically to match original mouldings from buildings across Teesdale.
This matters because a lot of heritage and restoration work comes down to the details. If a moulding or profile doesn't match what was there before, the finished result won't be right. Having the right tooling, built up over 60 years, means we can replicate the kind of details that others can't.
We work in a range of timbers including Accoya, hardwoods and traditional softwoods, selecting materials based on what's right for the project and the building.
How We Work
We don't rush jobs, and we don't cut corners.
As one of our long-standing customers put it: we're not happy until it's right. That's a fair description of how we approach most things.
A typical project starts with a site visit, measurements, and a quotation. Once a job is agreed, it's manufactured in our workshop and then installed — either by our own team for homeowner projects, or produced for builders and contractors to fit themselves.
Because we're actively working on projects throughout the day, quotations can occasionally take a little time to come through. We'd rather take the time to give you an accurate quote than rush one out that's wide of the mark.
Older buildings often present their own challenges — frames that have shifted, openings that are no longer square, or details that need to be matched exactly. That's the kind of problem-solving we've been doing for decades, and it's where experience really counts.
Heritage and Listed Building Work
A significant part of our work involves listed buildings and heritage properties.
Barnard Castle sits in a conservation area, which means we've always worked closely with the requirements that come with sensitive buildings. Over the years, we've produced technical drawings and cross-section details for listed building consent applications, helping clients demonstrate that replacement joinery matches the original.
We take this work seriously. A lot of contractors will replace original mouldings and features with modern equivalents because it's easier and cheaper. We replicate the original details — because that's what the building deserves, and because it's what the client is actually asking for.
Apprenticeships and Training
Since Stan started as an apprentice himself in 1956, training the next generation of joiners has always mattered to us.
We've trained ten apprentices over the years in the traditional way — learning on the job, alongside experienced craftspeople.
Two of our apprentices have gone on to win the regional Skill Build competition. Craig Dominick won in 2008 and competed in the national final in Birmingham. Matthew Brookes won again in 2016, and the following year received runner-up and Highly Commended recognition in the Federation of Master Builders Apprentice of the Year, Northern Counties section.
Federation of Master Builders
Atkinsons Joiners Ltd is a member of the Federation of Master Builders.
FMB membership means we're vetted for quality, hold the necessary insurances, and are committed to working to a professional standard. For customers, it provides an added layer of reassurance when choosing a contractor.
