Master Craftsman - Craig Hilditch

It all started late last year as I was sitting relaxing with a dram and flicking through one of the fly fishing & tying magazines that I used to buy and I came across Craig's article....

The fly dresser's dresser, now that looked really nice and something I would make very good use of, I just had to convince the good lady!

C'mon guys we all know we have to check with the wife before the purse strings get opened.






A telephone call to Craig a week or so later resulted in an invitation to drop down to his workshop, 45 minutes or so away from home, which came as a real surprise as after chatting to him on the phone and discovering he spoke with a broader scots accent than mine, I was taken back until I read the magazine article again...based in North Yorkshire, I hadn't even noticed this reading the article first time around if I were to be truthful.

Karen was looking at me & saying lets not be hasty on any decisions as we drove up the drive to Craig's workshop.

Meeting Craig was like meeting an old friend after a long absence, he is a lovely guy and made us both really welcome and showed us into the place where he makes dreams come true.

I had discussed with Craig prior on the phone that our house is all natural wood  & my current desk was solid pine but looking rather tired now after all it had been brought back from Germany over 15 years previous when we returned to UK, and it was that price range Karen & myself had discussed......That was until we both seen the Oak Dresser in the corner!

I did not need to convince Karen she had already made her mind up what was coming to our home.

After chatting to Craig to see if we could change a few details which Craig was more than happy to oblige and even threw a few other ideas into the discussion which sounded good and we soon finalised on a bespoke fly dresser's dresser to accommodate not only a place to tie flies but also to house my computer.

Karen then stunned me even more by saying my bookcase would look awful against this new dresser so might as well talk bookcases too. It was agreed with Craig I would need to do a few measurements to see what I would need as if I was going to get an oak bookcase I wanted to get it right, so after a coffee and an hour or so of chatting we left agreeing a date for the desk.

A couple of days later I took some measurements from my old pine bookcase and dropped them into an email to Craig, who worked his magic and designed a bookcase which any person would be proud to own, a price was agreed for this bespoke piece of furniture and a date of around the same time as my desk.

Craig kept me informed and what was going on & we dropped by the workshop again just to finalise everything before he started making the furniture.

Just over 2 weeks ago Craig called to say he had finished and we arranged a delivery date suitable for us all as Craig delivers the furniture himself.

We waited in anticipation as he reversed his van into the drive and we got to see the furniture for the first time.....I was definitely not disappointed, and all I could say was WOW!!

The first piece to come into my tying room was the bookcase which Craig designed and he certainly did not disappoint thats for sure

A beautiful oak bookcase, I was taken back by the attention to detail & workmanship that was evident in Craig's work.

Both Karen & myself were over the moon with this and couldn't wait to see what Craig had designed from the discussion we had in his workshop.











The design discussed being we would need to lose a couple of drawers and replace them with a cupboard & shelf to house a computer, I preferred full drawers with knobs instead of the open half moon drawer fronts, matching name plates and some lighting.

What Craig has produced is absolutely stunning and the fine details have me in awe!


A cupboard with shelf on the left houses my computer and the remaining drawers house all my fly tying and some float making materials & more.

with dovetail joints on all the drawers as a feature, combined with the natural patterns of the oak make this a truly stunning piece and something that will be still standing proud and beautiful long after I have left this earth.

If there is one thing I can say about Craig it would have to be this...

" His workmanship & attention to fine detail is truly the work of a master craftsman who is at the very top of his game and he has designed a unique & bespoke piece of furniture that anyone would be privileged to have in their home"

Craig can be contacted via social media for all those inclined to use facebook....Hilditch Wood Design

Email: craig@hilditchwooddesign.co.uk

or if old school by telephone

Mobile: 07814558400
Phone: 01347811889

You will not be disappointed that I assure you!

Craig thank you for allowing me to enjoy my passion of fly tying on your passion of making beautiful furniture.