Selly Manor, in Bournville, Birmingham, was one of the first historic properties to be saved from demolition by dismantling it and moving it to an alternative site. The project was instigated by the Cadbury family, who built Bournville to house the workers in their chocolate factory.

The house is a repository of Tudor and Jacobean furniture, and it contains some delightful and fascinating pieces.

Like most museums, there is a collecting box for donations just inside the entrance, but the staff weren't happy with the existing box, which had been acquired some years ago. So they commissioned me to produce something more in keeping with the interior.

The new box is in oak, and is constructed with pegged mortice-and-tenon joints, like most of the furniture in the house. The decorative carved motifs are taken from Tudor and Jacobean originals.

It was decided to leave the oak in its natural colour, apart from a coat of oil varnish to bring out the detail of the carving. It will, of course, darken with age. In three or four hundred years time, only the glass panels will distinguish it as a product of the 21st century.