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The Story of Our Beautiful Himalayan Carvings

Date published: 7/8/2018

Our Unique Eagle Brae Wood Carvings

Here at Eagle Brae, we have beautiful log cabins, crafted by hand and featuring unique intricate wood carvings. A team of experts in the Indian Himalayas created all the flat panel carvings. While the carvings in the rounds of the logs were done in Canada, where the log cabins were handmade. These carvings reflect our close relationship with nature and our extended family in the Himalayas. And no two cabins are the same!

Woman touching badger image carved into log

Keeping it in the Family

Talented crafters, many of which are family members, have produced the beautiful carvings in our handmade log cabins.

Mike and Pawana Spencer-Nairn are the couple behind Eagle Brae. Mike’s family originally hails from Scotland but he was brought up in Jersey in the Channel Islands. After visiting the Himalayas a few times, he met Pawana in a local village. They married and had two children whilst living back in Jersey.

Soon after, the pair carried out their dream of opening the stunning Eagle Brae village in Scotland, bringing a little slice of the Himalayas to the Highlands. The Scottish estate has been in Mike’s family since the 1930s and is now home to 10 beautiful log cabins. For the Himalayan touch, Pawana’s sister Nirmala is married to master woodcarver, Bickay Thakur. He, along with a team of experts has created the unique motifs found throughout our cabins.

Intricate Detail and Lovingly Handcrafted

The flat panel carvings in each of our eco-friendly log cabins are all different and depict Scottish figures, animals, and Pictish motifs. The team go through a long and intricate process to create them, using chisels only.

Craftsman carving Eagle Brae panels by hand

“I collected all the designs online and sent them out to India. They are a mix of Pictish, Celtic, traditional Scottish and local wildlife motifs. Many of the designs are actual Pictish stone carvings reproduced in wood. There are famous Scottish figures such as the Lewis chessmen in amongst all the designs.” explains Mike.

The crafters carve the internal designs into Himalayan Blue pine wood, and the external carvings into Himalayan cedar wood. Without the use of power tools, and just chisels, it takes them around one to three years to complete the Indian carvings in the first phase. Then two years for the phase two carvings, before they are ready to be fitted. A team of ladies in India are responsible for the sanding of the carvings, which can take as long as the woodcraft itself.

Carvings being sanded in the Indian Himalayas

In our luxury log cabins, there are no machine cut logs and no two logs are the same. You’ll find unique wood furnishings and carvings that reflect our blend of Scottish and Himalayan heritage and nature. And you’ll also see these patterns and animal carvings in the decking area in front of our reception, and on the balconies of your cabin.

Hand carved reception sign at Eagle Brae

Scottish Wildlife to Celtic Patterns

Each panel and log features handcrafted carvings of Scottish wildlife, local animals, and Celtic and Pictish patterns. These range from Scottish crowns with a thistle in the middle, woven Celtic designs, stags, fish, and former Scottish kings and queens.

hand carved sign at Eagle Brae

The craftsmanship of these designs is exquisite. Look closely and you might even see a Nessie monster! Whilst exploring your cosy luxury log cabin, look out for animals carved into logs and deer footprints on the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

Bear animal log carving

 

So, why not take a closer look at these beautiful wood carvings and book a stay at one of our luxury log cabins in Scotland? Here, you can explore our spectacular wildlife and natural landscapes, whilst learning about our connection with the Himalayas.

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