Linden wood

Linden wood or Tilia describes about 30 species of tree found mainly in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Usually called lime trees in Britain, they are not to be mistaken as being closely related to the lime fruit. They are also found in eastern North America and also in Asia.

The wood of lime trees is easily worked because it is soft and it does not have a distinctive grain. The Vikings used it to make shields and it has also been popular for intricate carving and for building models. It was the wood of choice in England for elaborate altarpieces and was the favourite timber of Grinling Gibbons It has also been used for puppet and marionette making as it’s light and doesn’t have much of a grain. In Germany it was the classic wood for sculpture from the Middle Ages onwards.