A NEW furniture showroom is bringing some eastern promise to north Hampshire.

Thanks to The Hamilton Gallery, in Little London, there is no need to head to the Far East for a Balinese pagoda.

Among the furniture on offer at the showroom - at Ash Park business Centre - are delicately carved 300-year-old opium beds, 19th century planters' chairs and loungers, as well as sturdy tables and giant plant tubs made from Indonesian railway sleepers.

The exotic business venture has been set up by two friends, dentist David Quinn, from Dummer, and entrepreneur Kevin Hogg, from Sherfield-on-Loddon.

Thanks to mutual contacts based on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the business partners are able to import beautiful and distinct pieces of furniture to the UK.

Mr Quinn, who is still working part-time at his dental practice in Buckskin, sees The Hamilton Gallery as a great business opportunity, which involves one of his interests.

"I have a great love of furniture, which I've had ever since I was very young, when my father was a great collector of antiques," he said.

"I think our business will become very successful because we are bringing in furniture that you don't often see. A lot of it is unusual and unique."

A key to the new business is hand-crafted furniture made out of recycled wood.

Mr Quinn explained: "It's our policy not to touch any new exotic woods so we recycle railway sleepers, which are made of teak, and transform them into high-quality furniture by commissioning skilled craftsmen in Indonesia.

"Not only are we recycling wood, but we're also giving employment to people living in Sumatra and Bali. They really are unbelievably fantastic craftsmen."

Mr Quinn said there is plenty of life in the old sleepers, despite them being on the ground for decades.

"Teak is a wonderful wood and is incredibly hard wearing. You could have kids riding bicycles up and down on it and it wouldn't make any difference.

"It's also impervious to water, so it's ideal for garden furniture that can be kept outdoors, without getting warped or damaged."

Given the size of the 25ft pagoda on display in the centre of The Hamilton Gallery, the 1,000 square-metre warehouse unit at Ash Park seems an ideal location.

But the businessmen are not content in just showcasing their furniture in Little London. An important part of promoting their range of furniture is attending country shows.

Last week a large teak plant tub was on display at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, at the entrance to the royal enclosure.

Visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show will be able to see some of the gallery's garden furniture exhibited, as well as at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July and the Romsey Show in September.

But if you are not able to attend these events, you can learn more about The Hamilton Gallery online, by visiting its website at www.thehamiltongallery.com