Windsor Chairs

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FOR THE LOVE OF WINDSOR CHAIRS
The Windsor chair is much sought after by
collectors (including us we love vintage,
antique and retro chairs!), and are especially
popular in the UK and United States. Throughout
the years they have been used indoors, and
outdoors, providing us with seating everywhere
from taverns to town halls and suburban lawns to
country gardens.
The 16th Century saw wheelwrights coping out
chair spindles in the same way that wheel spokes
were being made. They are thought to have
developed from the Westcountry, Welsh and Irish
stick back chairs. Making their first
appearance in Buckinghamshire, production then
moved to High Wycombe interestingly a market
has been held in the high street in High Wycombe
since the Middle Ages, so perhaps the chairs
made an appearance there too. These first chairs
were shipped in 1724 to London from Windsor,
which became the centre of trade between
producers and London dealers. The name Windsor
chair is thought to have come from a story
involving King George III, who took shelter in
a tenants abode during a storm, where he was
given a simple rustic chair with spindles to sit
in. He is said to have been so charmed by the
chairs that he had his carpenters ordered to
make several to furnish Windsor Castle. In the
18th Century, steam bending was used to produce
the bow that the Windsor chair is well known
for. Steam was used to bend the pieces of wood to
mould it into the desired shape, commonly used
to make the curved sections. Without this early
method, the Windsor chair would never have had
their well known shape. Most Windsor chairs of
English origin, are made of yew wood, or ash and
elm. Beech and fruitwoods were also used. Owning
a set of yew wood Windsor chairs was confirming
your wealth, and very much a status symbol.
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• They have also been used as outdoor seating a
  London advertisement from 1730 includes "Windsor
  Garden Chairs, of all sizes, painted green or in
  the wood". Often they were placed outside in
  their natural state, open to the elements,
  gaining a rustic, weathered look.
• Windsor chairs generally fit into one of three
  basic categories
• The low back
• The high back with a straight piece known as a
  comb
• The high back curved into a semicircular shape
  known as a hoop
• The top rail of the chairs also come in a variety
  of styles, such as a comb with a carved ear,
  comb with a plain ear, carved knuckle, and
  handhold. A pierced splat between the rods at
  the back was introduced by Chippendale, whilst a
  wheel-like or shield shaped centre splat was
  introduced by Hepplewhite. The seats of the
  chairs are either saddle or shield shaped. The
  various combinations of features are seemingly
  endless!
• So what makes them such a popular chair? They
  were easy to manufacture, using wood that was
  freely available and the lightweight construction
  of the chair made them extremely portable,
  whilst remaining sturdy and durable chairs.
• View our dining chairs here.
• Kernow Furniture - online store based in Cornwall
  for vintage, retro antique furniture, gifts
  home accessories and quirky gifts.
• We specialise in good quality 19th and 20th
  century furniture have 100s of items for your
  home and garden in stock now. We regularly stock
  Ercol, G Plan, Ladderax, mid century, arts
  crafts, antique pine, mahogany, solid oak, good
  quality vintage antique furniture. We love
  vintage chairs!