Charles Venables

Charles Joseph Venables OBE (1898–1989) was a British timber merchant and industrialist, known for his contributions to the British forestry industry. He served as Chairman and President of the Royal Forestry Society, led international trade and study missions on behalf of the government, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1965 for services to forestry. The firm evolved to specialise in the supply of timber for a wide range of industries, including wheelwrights, coachbuilders, railways, and coal mining, as well as for major infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. The company contributed to a number of nationally significant works, supplying timber for the restoration of York Minster, the post fire reconstruction of the Lantern Lobby at Windsor Castle. Other notable projects included Shakespeare's Globe in London, and the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Venables was honoured in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours List with an OBE for services to forestry.

In 1968 Venables was appointed as the Chairman He had previously served as vice-president. He received the Society's gold medal in 1970.

In addition to his work with the Royal Forestry Society, Venables served as President of the Home Timber Merchants Association and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and the Horticultural Society. An advocate for woodland preservation, he supported voluntary tree-planting efforts in Staffordshire and was active in promoting forestry awareness and education.

Venables retired from the family business at the age of 78 and was succeeded by his son, Richard Venables, as Managing Director. She came from another prominent Staffordshire family of industrialist Quakers, known for manufacturing boots. The couple had five children: John, Richard, Ruth, Anne, and Henry.