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ID #SA1062649
FOR SALE
£380
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Antique 19th Century St Pauls Cathedral London Chapel Chair Elm with Rush Seat 2
Nicholas Tempest
for sale €445     $483
£380
Nicholas Tempest

Nicholas Tempest

Sellingantiques Verified Since Feb 2022
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    Nik tempest is UK based shop specialising in fine antique silver as well as asian art, luxury interiors and objects of vertu.
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Antique 19th Century St Pauls Cathedral London Chapel Chair Elm with Rush Seat 2

19th century
For Sale by Nicholas Tempest
Description

A 19th Century Victorian Elm Chapel Chair made in Elm Wood with original Rush seat.

A piece of social history

Rush-seated Chair made for St Paul’s Cathedral, London

It was made in High Wycombe, probably at Walter Skull’s factory in the 1870s.

The workers who made the rush seats were known as ‘matters’. Before the 1880s, when local women could still find work as lace makers, most chair seat matters were men. As the hand-made lace industry declined, women began to make rush seats, and from around 1880 onwards, most matters were women.

An example of this chair can be seen in the Hidden Hands exhibition at Wycombe Museum. There is a lot more information about chair matting and other Chilterns crafts done by women in the exhibition.

Original rush woven seat

Height 80cm

Sturdy condition

I am selling 2 of these chairs in separate listings

Please contact me for shipping costs

This is Seat number 2

Physical Dimensions
Height
80cm (31.50")
Declaration

Nicholas Tempest has dated this Victorian Elm Chapel Chair to the 1870s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1062649
Description
A 19th Century Victorian Elm Chapel Chair made in Elm Wood with original Rush seat.

A piece of social history

Rush-seated Chair made for St Paul’s Cathedral, London

It was made in High Wycombe, probably at Walter Skull’s factory in the 1870s.

The workers who made the rush seats were known as ‘matters’.

“
Before the 1880s, when local women could still find work as lace makers, most chair seat matters were men.
Nicholas Tempest

As the hand-made lace industry declined, women began to make rush seats, and from around 1880 onwards, most matters were women.

fig 1. An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book.
fig 1. Antique 19th Century St Pauls Cathedral London Chapel Chair Elm with Rush Seat 2

An example of this chair can be seen in the Hidden Hands exhibition at Wycombe Museum. There is a lot more information about chair matting and other Chilterns crafts done by women in the exhibition.

Original rush woven seat

Height 80cm

Sturdy condition

I am selling 2 of these chairs in separate listings

Please contact me for shipping costs

This is Seat number 2

Height
80cm (31.50")
Date of Manufacture

Nicholas Tempest has dated this Victorian Elm Chapel Chair to the 1870s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1062649
Nicholas Tempest
Nicholas Tempest
Sellingantiques verified Since Feb 2022

Nik tempest is UK based shop specialising in fine antique silver as well as asian art, luxury interiors and objects of vertu.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Nicholas Tempest Profile Page

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An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book.
1 / 7
Archive I An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book.

Antique 19th Century St Pauls Cathedral London Chapel Chair Elm with Rush Seat 2

Archive II An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book. View II
Archive III An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book. View III
Archive IV An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book. View IV
Archive V An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book. View V
Archive VI An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book. View VI
Archive VII An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book. View VII
Enlarged Archival View
Nicholas Tempest

Nicholas Tempest
Telephone 07887 683468
Location
Gloucestershire
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/niktempestantiques
Verified Since Feb 2022
Items For Sale 39
Items Sold 297
Nicholas Tempest
Nicholas Tempest
Verified Since Feb 2022
View Dealer Info
Location: Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/niktempestantiques
Verified
Feb 2022
For Sale
39
Sold
297
An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book.
Antique 19th Century St Pauls Cathedral London Chapel Chair Elm with Rush Seat 2
Ref: SA1062649
An antique dark brown elm chapel chair featuring a woven rush seat, turned front legs, and a top rail designed to hold a hymn book.
Detail View 1
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FAQs

Victorian chapel chairs are rustic, lightweight side chairs manufactured during the nineteenth century to provide seating in churches and chapels across the United Kingdom. They typically feature simple wooden frames with rush seats and often incorporate a flat top rail designed to support hymn books during services.

These chairs were constructed using durable native English hardwoods such as elm, beech, or ash, secured with mortise and tenon joinery. The seating surfaces were woven from natural freshwater rush or dried straw, creating a flexible and supportive woven pad.

Authentic period chapel chairs exhibit genuine wear consistent with institutional use, particularly along the front stretchers and top rail. Key indicators include hand-turned components, original woven rush showing subtle color variations, and structural proportions unique to church furniture of the era.

A single chapel chair serves as an effective accent piece in an entryway, hallway, or bedroom, introducing texture and warmth to contemporary schemes. A set of matching chapel chairs can also be arranged around an oak dining table to complement a rustic or country aesthetic.

Maintain the timber frame by dusting with a dry cloth and applying a clear beeswax polish once or twice a year to preserve the wood finish. Clean the rush seat gently with a soft-bristled brush or low-suction vacuum cleaner, ensuring the fibres remain dry to prevent mildew.
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