Splat Back Wooden Chairs
These splat back wooden chairs bring centuries of vernacular and formal seating tradition directly into modern rooms.
Splat Back Wooden Chairs
When searching for splat back wooden chairs, buyers encounter a diverse selection spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including Victorian, Edwardian, and Georgian periods. These pieces comprise various seating forms such as kitchen dining chairs, office desk chairs, high chairs, and robust armchairs.
The assortment on this page leans heavily toward English country vernacular seating, specifically Windsor armchairs and carvers. These regional variants sit alongside formal mahogany dining chairs and occasional side chairs fashioned from sturdy native timbers.
How they were made
Maker workshops utilised traditional turning and joining techniques, pairing flexible woods like ash and beech for spindles with dense grain timbers like elm and yew for shaped seats. Windsor forms rely on socketed construction where legs and backs are wedged directly into a solid wooden saddle.
Formal dining chairs employ mahogany and oak, joining back splats to stiles and rails with mortise and tenon joints. Surface finishes typically consist of wax polishes that highlight the natural figure of the timber.
Several armchairs incorporate vernacular comfort shaping designed to cradle the sitter through long evenings by the hearth.
What varies in quality
Quality rests primarily in the selection of timber and the crispness of the turning on spindles and legs. Grain contrast in yew and elm combinations dictates visual appeal, while older examples display greater wear patterns that denote genuine age.
Structural integrity depends on original wedged joints remaining tight and the saddle seat retaining sufficient thickness around the leg sockets. Finer pieces demonstrate careful hand shaping of the comb backs and arms, whereas lesser examples show simpler mechanical turning.
Gabbitass Worksop·Howard and Sons
The Splat Back Wooden Chairs Glossary
- Windsor chair
- A chair built with a solid wooden seat into which the legs and back elements are dowelled directly. This form developed strong regional variations across English counties.
- Comb back
- A Windsor chair variation where the top rail resembles the teeth of a comb, supported by vertical spindles rising from the arm rail. This style appears frequently in eighteenth-century workshops.
- Yew wood
- A durable timber prized for its rich reddish-brown tone and prominent figuring. Makers often paired it with elm for country seating.
- Elm
- A tough, interlocking grain timber resistant to splitting, traditionally selected for chair seats. It provides a stable foundation for turned undercarriages.
Splat Back Wooden Chairs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I date an old wooden chair?
Dating relies on examining construction methods, tool marks, and timber choice alongside stylistic cues from periods like the Georgian or Victorian eras. Hand-turned components and timber shrinkage provide reliable clues to age.
Secondary indicators include the wear patterns on the seat and the type of fixings used in the undercarriage assembly.
Are these chairs suitable for daily dining?
Many solid wood dining chairs and kitchen chairs are built for robust daily use provided the joinery remains sound. Solid elm and ash construction handles regular sitting well.
Checking that the leg joints and seat sockets are secure ensures stability for everyday meals.
How do I care for antique wood furniture?
Maintenance requires avoiding direct sunlight and maintaining stable room humidity to prevent timber from splitting or warping. Natural wax polishes applied sparingly keep the surface nourished.
Routine dusting with a soft dry cloth prevents abrasive particle buildup on the antique finish.