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ID #SA1240986
FOR SALE
£1,750
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Billinge Wigan Ladder Back Chairs (6+2), Ash & Alder, C1840
For sale by The Real Wood Furniture Company
for sale €2,048     $2,223
£1,750
The Real Wood Furniture Company

The Real Wood Furniture Company

Sellingantiques Verified Since Oct 2025
Browse dealers 159 items
  • About Us
    The real wood furniture company (chris baylis) sells windsor chairs, decorative furniture and objects from large showrooms in the cotswolds
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Billinge Wigan Ladder Back Chairs (6+2), Ash & Alder, C1840

19th century
Description

BILLINGE WIGAN LADDER BACK CHAIRS (6+2), ASH & ALDER, C1840

A well matched set of eight (six side chairs and two armchairs) in ash and alder all re-rushed at the same time, probably 30-40 years ago. This unusual design of ladder back chair features a ‘humped’ top rail uniting the tops of the back uprights of the side chairs and a distinctive crested top rail uniting the tops of the uprights of the armchairs. The distinctive shaping to the arms is unique to this style of chair which were exclusively made in workshops in and around the village of ‘Billinge’ near Wigan in Lancashire between 1800 and 1875 (see: ‘The English Regional Chair’ by Dr Bernard Cotton p386).

Restoration: tips to the underpads of the front feet of all chairs and tips to the back feet.

Side chairs

Width: 47-48cms (18.5’-19”)

Height: 97-98cms (38”-38.5”)

Depth: 40-41cms (16”)

Seat height: 43-44cms (17”-17.25”)

Seat depth: 36cms (14”)

Armchairs

Width: 66-68cms (26”-26.75”)

Height: 110cms (43.25”)

Depth: 55-57cms (21.5”-22.5”)

Seat height: 44-45cms (17.25”-17.75”)

Seat depth: 43-44cms (17”-17.25”)

Between arm support turnings: 49cms (19.25”)

Date of Manufacture

The Real Wood Furniture Company has dated these Ladder Back Dining Chairs to the 1850s.

Physical Dimensions
Height
110cm (43.31")
Width
68cm (26.77")
Depth
57cm (22.44")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1240986
Dealers Internal Reference
10425
Dealers Notes

Large showrooms outside Chipping Norton. Please call for an appointment.

www.realwood.co.uk

Description
BILLINGE WIGAN LADDER BACK CHAIRS (6+2), ASH & ALDER, C1840
“
A well matched set of eight (six side chairs and two armchairs) in ash and alder all re-rushed at the same time, probably 30-40 years ago.
The Real Wood Furniture Company

This unusual design of ladder back chair features a ‘humped’ top rail uniting the tops of the back uprights of the side chairs and a distinctive crested top rail uniting the tops of the uprights of the armchairs. The distinctive shaping to the arms is unique to this style of chair which were exclusively made in workshops in and around the village of ‘Billinge’ near Wigan in Lancashire between 1800 and 1875 (see: ‘The English Regional Chair’ by Dr Bernard Cotton p386).

fig 1. A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails.
fig 1. Billinge Wigan Ladder Back Chairs (6+2), Ash & Alder, C1840

Restoration: tips to the underpads of the front feet of all chairs and tips to the back feet.

Side chairs

Width: 47-48cms (18.5’-19”)

Height: 97-98cms (38”-38.5”)

Depth: 40-41cms (16”)

Seat height: 43-44cms (17”-17.25”)

fig 2. A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails.
fig 2. Billinge Wigan Ladder Back Chairs (6+2), Ash & Alder, C1840

Seat depth: 36cms (14”)

Armchairs

Width: 66-68cms (26”-26.75”)

Height: 110cms (43.25”)

Depth: 55-57cms (21.5”-22.5”)

Seat height: 44-45cms (17.25”-17.75”)

Seat depth: 43-44cms (17”-17.25”)

Between arm support turnings: 49cms (19.25”)

Date of Manufacture

The Real Wood Furniture Company has dated these Ladder Back Dining Chairs to the 1850s.

Height
110cm (43.31")
Width
68cm (26.77")
Depth
57cm (22.44")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1240986
Dealers Internal Ref
10425
The Real Wood Furniture Company
The Real Wood Furniture Company
Sellingantiques verified Since Oct 2025

The real wood furniture company (chris baylis) sells windsor chairs, decorative furniture and objects from large showrooms in the cotswolds

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the The Real Wood Furniture Company Profile Page

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A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails.
1 / 15
Archive I A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails.

Billinge Wigan Ladder Back Chairs (6+2), Ash & Alder, C1840

Archive II A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View II
Archive III A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View III
Archive IV A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View IV
Archive V A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View V
Archive VI A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View VI
Archive VII A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View VII
Archive VIII A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View VIII
Archive IX A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View IX
Archive X A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View X
Archive XI A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View XI
Archive XII A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View XII
Archive XIII A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View XIII
Archive XIV A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View XIV
Archive XV A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails. View XV
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The Real Wood Furniture Company

The Real Wood Furniture Company
Telephone 07971 629703 or 01608 642741
Location
At Mo Tighe
Chapel House Grounds
Chipping Norton
Oxfordshire
OX7 5SZ
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/realwood
Verified Since Oct 2025
Items For Sale 159
Items Sold 2
The Real Wood Furniture Company
The Real Wood Furniture Company
Verified Since Oct 2025
View Dealer Info
Location: At Mo Tighe, Chapel House Grounds, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5SZ, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/realwood
Verified
Oct 2025
For Sale
159
Sold
2
A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails.
BILLINGE WIGAN LADDER BACK CHAIRS (6+2), ASH & ALDER, C1840
Ref: SA1240986
A set of dark brown ladder back dining chairs featuring woven rush seats, curved horizontal slats, and turned stretcher rails.
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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectDining Chairs
  • Period19th century
  • StyleEnglish Country
  • MaterialAsh, Alder, Rush
  • ColourDark Brown
  • MotifsWavy back slats, Woven rush seat, Turned front stretchers, Curved armrests
  • SizeH 110 cm (43 in) x W 68 cm (27 in) x D 57 cm (22 in)

This set of eight Billinge Wigan ladder back dining chairs comprises six side chairs and two armchairs, dating to the mid-nineteenth century. Handcrafted from ash and alder in an English Country style, the pieces display a dark brown timber finish and feature woven rush seats, wavy horizontal back slats, curved armrests on the armchairs, and turned front stretcher rails with bobbin details. Each chair stands upon simple rounded feet. The armchairs measure 110 cm high, 68 cm wide, and 57 cm deep, while the side chairs are scaled down accordingly for dining use. These rustic farmhouse chairs suit daily placement around a large family dining table or serve as occasional seating in a country house interior.

FAQs

Ladder back chairs are a traditional form of vernacular seating featuring horizontal slats arranged between two upright back posts, resembling a ladder frame. Originating in rural Britain and North America, these chairs were widely produced by country chairmakers from the seventeenth through to the nineteenth century.

Regional chairmakers typically utilised native hardwoods such as ash, alder, oak, and beech for the turned legs, posts, and back slats. The seats were predominantly woven using natural rush or reeds, providing flexible structural support.

Authentic period pieces display hand-turned components, pegged mortise and tenon joinery, and natural variations in timber grain. Regional variations, such as wavy back slats specific to Lancashire and Cheshire makers, also assist in identification.

These timber chairs complement contemporary dining spaces when placed around simple oak or stone tables. The natural texture of the woven rush seats provides visual contrast in modern minimalist or rustic interior schemes.

Rush seats should be kept free of excess moisture and occasionally dusted with a soft brush to prevent damage to the natural fibres. Timber surfaces require gentle cleaning with a damp cloth followed by periodic applications of clear beeswax.
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