Splats and Spindles: Six English Regional Chairs
For centuries, across the different regions of England, people made chairs for everyday use based on local traditions, using timber and other materials readily available in the area. The craftmanship and design that informed regional chairmaking was passed from generation to generation, and distinct features formed unique chairmaking dialects associated with each region.
by spectrum
Visitors can get up close with six chairs from the Bernard and Geraldine Cotton Chair Collection and Archive, most of which have not been on display for 20 years. Each chair links to a different region, where you will learn the stories of both celebrated and lesser-known makers, discover how everyday furniture can reflect local history and gain insight into Bernard and Geraldine Cotton’s work.
Spectrum produced large format graphics of images that were part of the recent digitisation project which saw the digitisation of over 100 boxes of archival material – from photographs to transcripts, notes and newspaper clippings – recently acquired as part of the Bernard and Geraldine Cotton Chair Collection and Archive. This will be a valuable resource for chair enthusiasts (and those new to this) too as there’s still so much history to be uncovered linked to regional furniture – this is soon to be also fully available on the Museum of the Home website.
Exhibition Details
Date: Ongoing exhibition
Undercroft, Home Galleries at the Museum of the Home, London