Page 115 - Homes & Antiques (February 2020)

WINDSOR CHAIR
MAX ROLLITT, antiques dealer, furniture maker
and interior designer

The Windsor chair was, according to rumour, originally devised as a
very upmarket garden chair in the early 1700s and gradually evolved
into the country chair we now know. Its charm is in its comfort – it’s
a forgiving chair made using English native hardwoods such as ash,
elm, oak and beech that will !t into any scheme. It brings together all
of the traditional country skills of the wheelwright, the bodger and
the cabinetmaker. We make a bespoke version of the Windsor chair
using the traditional techniques, and James Mursell of The Windsor
Workshop and Jason Mosseri of Hope Springs Chairs run courses on
Windsor chairmaking to keep these skills alive. West Country comb-
back-style chair dating
from around 1780.

February 2020 Homes & Antiques 115