Charles (Len) Morris has left a rich and beautiful legacy of his talents for present and future generations of his family to enjoy.

But as is so often the case with private collections of this stature, Mr.

Morris' work is not available for public view.

For a favoured few, however, a handsome book about his life and furniture-making has been produced as a tribute to his memory by members of his family.

"The family was very proud of dad's work, it is part of Bermuda's heritage,'' his son Arthur explained. "Not enough people take the trouble to record Bermuda's history, and unless it gets recorded it just passes into obscurity.

That is why we did it.'' Born in London, England, Mr. Morris came to Bermuda in 1930 as part of a team of artisans who built the Castle Harbour hotel. Woodworking skills acquired throughout his formative years stood him in good stead then and ever afterwards.

Once his work at the Castle Harbour was finished, the now-married Mr. Morris moved on to the development of Long Bird Island for a private owner. Like so many others whose careers were interrupted by the Second World War, the young Englishman became, instead, superintendent of local labour and supplies for the US military during the construction of the airport and the US Air Force Base.

When finally the war was ended, Mr. Morris remained in the construction industry for some time, endowing many Bermudian homes with hallmarks of his talent.

Later, when he and his wife Winifred turned to the guest house business, first at Kerri (later The Royal Palms), and then at Fordham Hall, the master craftsman continued to pursue the craft which had won him so much admiration from family and friends, as well as a life membership in the Chippendale Society of England. Indeed, furniture making became a lifelong hobby as Mr.

Morris created piece after piece for those he loved.

Although many items were copies of classic designs by renowned furniture designers such as Chippendale and Sheraton, he often personalised them with his own special touches. A Sheraton armchair, for example, incorporates two Bermuda sea horse splats into the seat back.

"They are an innovation by the maker which would drive poor Sheraton up the wall,'' he wryly explained.

In fact, Mr. Morris had a ready wit, and his comments on the various items he made are used judiciously throughout the book, which is entitled `The Craftsmanship of the late Leopold Charles Morris, Bermuda Cedar Furniture'.

"It's hard to say why one would make a milking stool when there is no cow to go with it!'' he observed of another piece.

Similarly, a nest of tables made in 1975 finally replaced his wife's original set, made in 1935 and sold under her very nose to an appreciative American visitor for the princely sum of 10! Many items in the Morris collection were made to mark special anniversaries -- like the footstool for his son Arthur's fourth birthday, a Sheraton-inspired sewing table as a gift to his wife on their 56th anniversary, and desks and chairs for grandchildren Christopher and Michele.

Like so many artisans before him, Len Morris found inspiration everywhere he looked. A finely carved, inlaid kneehole desk was a scaled down version of one he espied in the lobby of the Southampton Princess Hotel.

"I thought it would be of interest to have table similar to Mr. Ludwig's (the multi-millionaire owner of the hotel)'' he wrote of this piece.

An intricately designed plant stand was copied from a candle stand featured in Chippendale's 1763 directory.

And of course, like all fine local craftsmen, Mr. Morris was quick to see good in every tree, even if others didn't.

A handsome, onion-footed chest, for example, was the beautiful end product of a less than beautiful cedar which, due to its terrible lean, was deemed a menace to users of the North Shore Road and ordered cut down by the powers-that-be.

An elm tree acquired from the grounds of the old Hamilton Hotel, together with bird's-eye cedar donated by a friend, were used to create a geometrically patterned table top.

As a browse through the splendidly produced, full colour book reveals, Len Morris was a craftsman of eclectic tastes who clearly enjoyed and handsomely met a wide variety of challenges.

Intricate inlays, complex carving, pie-crust edging and more were encompassed in such widely diverse styles as Chinese Gothic, Chinese Chippendale and English traditional.

His work incorporated marble just as easily as it did bevelled glass and tooled leather.

Unique features of his adopted home -- Easter lilies and sea horses among them -- were lovingly woven into styles from the land of his birth.

He poured his talent into everything from occasional tables to full dining room suites, china closets and cobbler's benches. Special in his wife's affection was the whimsical "beagle table'' -- so called because a naturally formed slab of wood resembled the dog of the same name.

"Winifred loves this little `beagle table','' he noted.

That Mr. Morris left so many tangible memories of his time on earth is splendid in itself. That his family elected to pay tribute to them in the form of this book makes them all the more sweet. Fortunate, indeed, are its recipients.

EAST MEETS WEST -- Bermuda cedar and the influence of China are combined in this splendid armchair copied from Chippendale's Directory by master craftsman Mr. Len Morris. One of many stunning pieces in the Morris collection, its intricate design includes open fret front legs. The inlaid seat contrasts bird's eye cedar with elm to create a fascinating geometric pattern. Mr.

Morris created chairs in various styles throughout his lifetime, many of them gifts for his family.

IN THE ROUND -- This handsome table combines many fine examples of the craftsman's art. Inspiration for the carved seahorse legs came from studying the real thing at the Aquarium.

SEW BEAUTIFUL -- As a 56th wedding anniversary gift to his wife Winifred, Mr.

Morris created this cedar sewing table following a Sheraton design.