Fine Fettle Bookham – About 12 years ago I was starting to plan the setting up of Fine Fettle and during that time, whilst sourcing excellent practitioners and equipment I also needed to find a suitable name for the clinic.
After much soul searching and determination not to call us Bookham Osteopathic Practice I finally came up with the name Fine Fettle Multi-healthcare. It was the first time I really felt like a creative as I woke at 2 am with the name just in my head!! Even the logo I sketched out from that awakening moment. (the picture you see is of those very notes)
The origins of the word Fettle is a little obscure and its first known use was in 1740. It originally came from the old English word fetel for a belt so the verb probably had the meaning of girding oneself up for a heavy task.
In the north it is used with the meaning of making or repairing something.
The word was most typically used as a verb meaning to put things in order, tidy up, arrange, or prepare. In northern English it can still have the sense of making or repairing something. It’s also used in some manufacturing trades — in metal casting and pottery it describes the process of knocking the rough edges off a piece. I particularly like this one…not sure that our patients would like to think we are knocking off their rough edges however?
All of the above of these are variants of the word. The noun refers to condition, order or shape and fine fettle means to be in good order or condition. This last definition is why we used the name.
Our aim at fine fettle is to put the body back into good order/condition.
Over the years that we have been open the team often go out as a group and we have come to call ourselves the “fettlers” I was however a little concerned to read that a fettler is a railway maintenance worker. Let’s just keep this secret from the rest of the team here….!!
We have also found out that there is a Fettle Cheese and beer. Maybe it is time we held a cheese and beer evening here!
To conclude – to say someone is in “fine fettle”, you mean that they are in very good health or condition. This is exactly why I used fine fettle as our company name and it is behind this phrase that we set all our business ethos and standards.
Helen
