IT can take 20 years of training... but local craftsmen are putting their work on the global stage with high-profile work.

Kelvin Murray, of the Ayrshire specialist maker Character Joinery, has produced replicas of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s famous high-backed chairs for treasured Glasgow tearoom Mackintosh At The Willow.

He is also responsible for the internal fit-outs of The Old Royal Station at Ballater and The Duke of Rothesay Highland Games Pavilion at Braemar, both of which were led by Prince Charles’s charity The Prince’s Foundation.

The ambitious bids to restore Glasgow’s original Willow tearoom and the Royal Deeside rail halt, destroyed by fire in 2015, have been supported by The Prince’s Foundation and partly implemented by Murray’s 28-strong team of craftsmen.

Now Kelvin is expected to meet Prince Charles to tell him about his work.

He said: "The Prince of Wales is well-known for his appreciation of interior design and architecture and we are delighted to work with The Prince’s Foundation on various projects.

“Much is made of the fact that many developers will choose to use materials and skilled labour from abroad, but so many craftsman here are proving time and time again that, in terms of quality and sustainability, there is no substitute for the expertise that exists right here in Scotland.”

Murray says the makers deserve recognition for their contribution to securing the future of Scotland’s historically-significant buildings.

Their expertise could translate into similar craft work further afield.

He added: “I could talk all day about the quality of makers on the projects in Glasgow, Ballater, and Braemar; Scotland as a whole has some amazing craftsmen and makers in all areas.

“We are guilty of self-criticism while the rest of the world is shouting about how good they are.

"With the skill that has gone into those projects, it’s a platform for us to grow from.

“For the Mackintosh At The Willow project, there were three makers involved: Angus Ross in Perth, Bruce Hamilton in Glasgow, and myself.

"It was fantastic to talk to these guys and work alongside them.

"The glasswork and metal workers are so highly-skilled, and that needs to be promoted."

Kelvin’s claims are backed up by endorsements from experts on the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Pamela Robertson, Professor Emerita of Mackintosh Studies at Glasgow University and advisory panel member at Willow Tea Rooms Trust, said: “The Mackintosh at the Willow restoration project in Glasgow has sought to bring back to life the exceptional tea room interiors designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Catherine Cranston in 1903.

"The project has involved a wide range of specialist skills - in textile, stencilling, glasswork, metalwork and decorative plaster.

"The largest challenge however has been the making of over 230 pieces of furniture.

“Kelvin and his team at Character Joinery was commissioned to replicate the famous order desk chair, waitress stools, and all of the furniture for the centrepiece room, the Salon de Luxe.

"The latter items were hand-crafted from oak and hand-finished with a demanding process of six layers, involving primers, size, aluminium leaf and varnish.

"Character Joinery delivered all of the items with high levels of skill, meticulous attention to detail, and great enthusiasm."

The 200-seat restaurant and tearooms reopened last month following a £10 million restoration.

Gordon Neil, deputy executive director of The Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House, said: “The role of Dumfries House and the outreach projects by The Prince’s Foundation is to deliver heritage-led regeneration and, where that applies to the built environment, we are lucky to have Kelvin and his hugely impressive team at Character Joinery right here on our doorstep in East Ayrshire.

"It’s the unrivalled craftsmanship of that team that has helped restore Dumfries House to its former glory and render it an unmissable tourist attraction, and we envisage that their skill will similarly ensure that Mackintosh At The Willow in Glasgow will become known for eye-catching interiors and beautiful, traditional-built furniture.”