Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened top finials; 4 ladders with lower indented shaping; square cornered cabriole front legs morticed into the seat frame, missing rushing bars; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened top finials; 4 ladders with lower indented shaping; square cornered cabriole front legs morticed into the seat frame, missing rushing bars; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers WS25

This is the very first rush seated Lincolnshire chair that I acquired; I found it hidden away in the back room of a second-hand shop in Greenwich. It was under other things and filthy but I recognised those distinctive front legs with cabriole shape and the turning on top. That was many years ago now and I am so pleased that I bought it. I think this is at least 200 years old; it has been made with a lack of sophistication and naivety that would indicate an early crude country chair - but what charm and presence!

© William Sergeant 2012

William Sergeant with some of his collection of Lincolnshire Windsor and rush-seated chairs

William Sergeant with some of his collection WS 107

I was invited by the Lincolnshire Wood Turners to give an exhibition at their annual display in August 2013 . The response was most encouragin . I had a lot of interest from members of the public: many were unaware that there was a tradition of chairmaking in Lincolnshire! Several asked if the chairs were for sale and seemed disappointed when I said that I only collected chairs for academic and educational purposes.

On the display behind William: suspended in mid-air: a Marsh bow back side chair and a Marsh comb back side chair; on the dais: a Shirley/Shadford workshop Caistor rocking chair, a Lincolnshire comb back and two cabriole leg Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back chairs; on the floor: a Lincolnshire ladder back missing its rush seat and a Grantham bow back side chair.

© William Sergeant 2013 and Julian Parker 2020

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair, with straight backpoles with tapered feet & button finials, 4 ladders, domed with downward shape, rush bars, rush-seated, Lincolnshire front stretcher, double rear stretcher, double side stretchers, cabriole front legs & pad feet WS 66

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair WS 66 

This is one of 4 identical chairs that were put up for sale at Criterion Auctions in Wandsworth; from the picture I guessed they were from Lincolnshire but the legs were not easily made out. It was not until several weeks later when they were delivered that the full extent of what I had bought became apparent. They are excellent chairs of a good age with front legs that I had not seen before and they do not appear in Dr Bernard Cotton's The English Regional Chair.  However, after I sent some pictures to Dr Cotton, he pointed out to me that the leg design is similar to the chair which was made about 1740 depicted on the front cover of his book which represented the height of fashion at that time. Perhaps the makers of this chair were using similar design features from more upmarket Windsor chairs on their humble chairs to raise the profile of them. This design also closely resembles that found on the chairs made by the cabinetmakers and chairmakers from Philadelphia in the early 18th century. Bearing in mind that the first Pilgrim Fathers left England from Boston in Lincolnshire it is perhaps not surprising that they may share a common heritage.

WS 65 Lincolnshire rush-seated chair legs compared

The left hand leg is from the chair in the photograph above and the other is from a classic Ashton/Green Lincolnshire rush-seated chair. Both are referred to as cabriole in shape and have turnings at the top but the left hand one has been shaped into an elegant style complete with a turned pad foot.

© William Sergeant 2019

Lincolnshire rush-seated cherrywood ladder back side chair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened curved stay rail with button finials; 3 pierced ladders with both upward & downward shapings; cabriole front legs with pad feet morticed into the seat frame; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers

WS 47 Lincolnshire ladder back chair made of cherry wood

I haven't actually seen this chair but this picture was kindly sent to me by John Boram. It's a bit special: made out of cherry wood and with some fancy pierced ladders with a bar top. Beautifully crafted vernacular furniture.

© William Sergeant 2019

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back armchair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened top finials; 5 ladders with lower indented shaping; turned front cabriole legs with pad feet morticed into the seat frame; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers

WS 67 Lincolnshire rush-seated armchair

From the collection of John Boram and with permission to reproduce its image here. A very fine carver with some fruit wood in its construction.

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened top finials; 5 ladders with lower indented shaping; square cornered cabriole front legs morticed into the seat frame, with rushing bars; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers possibly by Ashton/Green

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened top finials; 5 ladders with lower indented shaping; square cornered cabriole front legs morticed into the seat frame, with rushing bars; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers: an Ashton chair WS 24 

This type of chair is known as an "Ashton Chair" after the family that are supposed to have made them in the Spilsby/Louth area of Lincolnshire and it is from these, with their distinctive features, that nearly all interest in Lincolnshire chairs stems. This particular design does not turn up very often and they are usually keenly contested as they are as Lincolnshire as the Imp and Stuffed Chine are. (Some of you may need to put stuffed chine into Google to understand that last remark. Or watch the video below).

The Imp, Lincoln Cathedral

Stuffed chine © Meridian Meats, Louth

© William Sergeant 2019

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back side chair: straight back uprights with tapered feet & flattened top finials; 4 ladders with lower indented shaping; square cornered cabriole front legs morticed into the seat frame, with rushing bars; front stretcher with turnery often found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers

WS 157 possibly from Spilsby

Original and untouched. I am indebted to Richard from Saxilby for helping me to acquire a pair of completely original Lincolnshire rush-bottomed chairs. He knew that I collected these chairs and when on his travels he saw these in a window of a Horncastle antique shop he turned around and inquired about them. He was told that they had come out of a house in Spilsby and were the left-overs from a group of a carver and six side chairs. He purchased them and then passed them on to me for my collection. Unfortunately I have been able to establish the veracity of the story of their previous ownership but I am still working on it. Finding a provenance for vernacular furniture is so important; proving they came from Spilsby would be a real bonus.

© William Sergeant 2015.

2

 

Ladder back side chair with original rushing; this pattern is attributed to the Ashton/Green family from Spilsby. Very rare to find unspoilt seat; such fine rushing is likely to have been imported from Holland.

6

Lincolnshire rush seated ladder back chair, this time with five ladders and cabriole front leg. This type of chair is associated with the towns of Louth,Alford and Spilsby.

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Ladder back armchair with re-rushed seat. No provenance but similar patterned chairs attributed to Lincolnshire, mid 1700’s

10

1980s faithful copy of original Lincs rush seated, ladder back armchair, by Rob Ley, who lived in Spilsby at that time. This chair is downstairs at Alford, not in the main exhibition room.

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Lincolnshire rush seated chair made by Robert Ley for Alford Civic Trust