Typical Lincolnshire spindleback chair - WS228

 

WS228 Lincolnshire Windsor armchair with 9 long spindles attributed to Roger and Sophia Taylor workshop

The county of Lincolnshire has a great tradition of making spindleback Windsor chairs. Their understated elegance, economy of design and pleasing proportions make them timeless items of furniture which would grace any room. There are plenty on my Flickr feed to choose from and after many years of researching the tradition, I still find chairs which are new to me. Please take a moment to study this one.

It was while visiting a Newark antique centre that I spotted this one for sale at a very reasonable price. There is no maker's name stamp, every component is fashioned from ashwood and it's in remarkably good condition. Everything points to a standard Lincolnshire spindleback Windsor chair, produced at the beginning of the nineteenth century. But which workshop did it come out of? I knew that I had seen those underarm supports before and after a little bit of research I realised that they were the same as picture WS160, which is signed TAYLOR Grantham. 

What surprised me was the fact that every other signed TAYLOR spindleback chairs have only 8 long spindles and 6 short ones. This is, I believe, the very first time that a 9 long and 8 short spindle pattern has ever been recorded.

I have little doubt that it was manufactured in the workshop of Roger and Sophia Taylor during the period 1801 - 1810.

© William Sergeant 2023

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped WILSON GRANTHAM, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, 3/4 view

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, view from above

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, detail of arm turning 

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, side view

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, rear view

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, stamp

For a short piece about John Wilson (1779 - 1837) see this post.

© Julian Parker 2021

Yorkshire compound-bent bow back Windsor armchair, with 6 long sticks, 4 short, turned underarms, turned legs, and H stretcher WS 219

Most people who visit this chair blog will know that I live in Lincolnshire, which accounts for all the chairs from that county on this site. However, I am fortunate to live very close to the Nottinghamshire border as well as being very close to Newark, which in turn means that it is so easy for me to visit the huge antique fair at the Newark showground several times every year. It has been a spectacular hunting ground for me in my search for vernacular furniture. Some of the dealers have got to recognise me and occasionally ask for my thoughts and advice on various pieces that they have brought along with them. Dave is one such dealer and I always make his pitch my first stop every time I visit the fair. He is from over the Humber Bridge in South Yorkshire and he kindly keeps interesting chairs in his van so that I can have first pick, which I really appreciate. 

Yorkshire compound-bent bow back Windsor armchair, with 6 long sticks, 4 short, turned underarms, turned legs through-mortised and wedged, with H stretcher WS 219

A couple of years ago he produced this chair from the back of his van and because it had its legs reduced in length and had been totally painted white, he said it was mine for a few pounds. I knew it was a Yorkshire Windsor chair and told him so, pointing out that it was worth more than he was asking for it. The rather bizarre negotiation then took place where I was talking the price up while he was happy with the first price that had been mentioned. In the end we met in the middle and we were both more than happy. 

It has the unique feature of the compound steam bent back bow, that is a hallmark of these Yorkshire Windsor chairs. Every component appears to be made from Ash wood with everything being contempory with its making and no replacement parts. If you look closely at the image, you will see that the legs are of differing designs - I have no doubt that it started life like this.

Legs through-mortised and wedged from above WS 219

Long sticks through back bow and wedged from above WS 219

Shortly afterwards, I took it along to Tim Garland in Lincoln to discuss the best way to do some sort of restoration work on it. Using stripper to clean off all the white paint was not an option so it was done the hard way - a little bit of scrapping at a time, so as to remove the white and leave as much as possible of its original green paint. Many thanks to Tim and his wife Vicky for doing such a fine job.

Before the paint was removed WS 219

Before the paint was removed WS 219

Underside of seat WS 219

© William Sergeant 2021

Vale of York compound-bent bow back armchair, with 7 long sticks, 8 short, turned underarms, turned front legs, plain back legs and H stretcher WS 217

Vale of York compound-bent bow back armchair, with 7 long sticks, 8 short, turned underarms, turned front legs, plain back legs and H stretcher  WS 217

A few years ago, I quite accidentally became acquainted with a retired antique dealer who lived in a fine Georgian town house in Grantham. I was fascinated by his tales of seeking out items of furniture in Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire and then often selling them on to the London trade during the 1960's & 70's. However, he had kept several choice items for his own house and he kindly allowed me to take some of them back to my photographic studio to record them. The image above is one chair from his small collection.

You will immediately see that I have taken the picture above from the side and I have done so for a very good reason: it clearly shows the compound bend in the steam bent back bow. There is no record of this technique being used by the Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire chairmakers but I knew exactly where it had been made as soon as I saw it: namely in the Vale of York. I knew this because I had read an article by Adam Bowett that appeared in the Regional Furniture 2004. 

Front view WS 217

The house in Grantham has now been sold along with its contents and I am just so pleased that I had the enormous pleasure of meeting this gentleman and also being able to record so many of his fine vernacular chairs. This one appears to have every component made from ash wood with the legs through morticed and wedged into the seat. The design is not the most elegant that I have ever seen but it does have huge amounts of rustic charm.

The photo details above show that these images were taken in September 2015 and why they have been on my computer hard drive for over 5 years without being published is hard to explain. It is a great example of true vernacular furniture, such a recognisable design and a tribute to the craftsmen of Yorkshire. Since I took this picture, I must have seen at least half a dozen being offered for sale, mainly through Yorkshire auction houses and not one has ever mentioned Bowett's article and their association with the county.

Short sticks through-mortised and wedged from above WS 217

Underarm turning WS 217

Front leg turning WS 217

© William Sergeant 2021

 

Lincolnshire comb back armchair by Marsh Sleaford, with curved crest rail, with 8 long spindles, the outer of which are turned stiles above the arm bow, which is chamfered at its ends, 6 short spindles, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 208

Lincolnshire comb back armchair by Marsh Sleaford, with curved crest rail, with 8 long spindles, the outer of which are turned stiles above the arm bow, which is chamfered at its ends, 6 short spindles, turned underarms straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 208

This comb back Lincolnshire armchair is from the wonderful collection of former Regional Furniture Society member, James Drake. I was delighted when he said that I could include it here, as it's so important and you all will be able to appreciate it. It has an impressed name stamp towards the rear of the upper surface of the seat which reads MARSH, so from the workshop of father and son, Thomas and James Marsh of Sleaford. The legs and underarm turned supports are typical of their patterns but the chair is of overall compact proportions, the like of which I have never seen before. The particular pleasing feature are the two outside long back support spindles (stiles), which start at the seat level and pass through the armbow the continue with the decorative turning up to the back comb, an elegant touch. This could easily become my favorite Lincolnshire armchair.

© William Sergeant 2019

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor spindle back armchair stamped AMOS GRANTHAM, with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 190 & WS 189

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor spindle back armchair stamped AMOS GRANTHAM, with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 190

This is a typical early Lincolnshire windsor armchair. Plain back legs with the front ones having the design of a thin ring above an exaggerated shallow cove, an all-spindle back support and curved underarm supports. This one has an ash seat with yew for the other components. I believe that this is the very essence of a chair that was made in the first period of Windsor chairmaking in the county, namely 1800-1812. 

The name stamp on the edge of the seat is AMOS GRANTHAM, so we know exactly in whose workshop it was made. It came from a house just outside Newark and it had been in the family for many years. It was in a slightly distressed state when I brought it at auction but I got a restorer to make it usable again.

John Amos was a wheelwright and as such ran a business for the first 15 years of his working life making wagons and carts for farmers and merchants as well as servicing ones that were already in use. It was not until 1809 that the first advert by him was posted in the paper searching for journeymen chairmakers. All of the chairs that I have seen from his workshop are of the second period type, which I believe started to be produced in about 1812 but I was not surprised to seen this design by him. This leads me to think that this chair was probably made in the first 3 years of his manufacture, namely 1809-1812.

Bench holdfast marks on medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor spindle back armchair WS 190 stamped AMOS GRANTHAM WS 189

This picture shows part of the underside of the armbow of this AMOS chair. You can see quite clearly the small areas of cross-hatching that are impressed into the surface of the wood. This was caused by bench holdfasts. These have been used by woodworkers since ancient times and are used, as their name suggests, to hold a piece of wood firmly to the workbench. They are the shape of a swan's neck, with the neck part slipped down a hole in the bench and the crooked head part tapped with a mallet to spread the bend and hold the wood secure. They can easily be released with a sideways tap. 

For the holdfast to grip the wood better, there is cross-hatching filed into the end. This is what has left the marks above. The length of yew wood would be soften in the steam box and the placed against the profile form that it is to be moulded around and once bent, it is held firmly in place while it cools by a series of holdfasts. 

© William Sergeant 2017 and 2020

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped BRAND SLEAFORD with 9 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher, WS 192/199

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped BRAND SLEAFORD with 9 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher, WS 192/199

At first glance this is a typical Lincolnshire spindle back Windsor armchair. It is stamped BRAND SLEAFORD. The solid thick seat is fashioned from elm, the front legs are made out of cherry and the back legs turned from ash. Every other component is made from yew wood. What makes this chair slightly unusual is the turnery design to the front legs - the element of added decoration. There is a double ring turning above the cove and towards the base of the leg the turnery design is a double ring again. This striking feature is almost identical to the Shirley chair in WS 198.

Chairs by this maker are very rare. This one is the first that I have handled after many years of searching and I was pleased to add it to my collection. I had come across John Brand before - see WS 163 and 164. That chair with the seat stamped BRAND and MARSH proves that they must have been working together for a while.

The tradition of chair making in Sleaford has three names which standout and often appear in the directories and censuses, namely MARSH, BRAND and MASON. While many MARSH stamped chairs have been recorded, very few BRAND stamped chairs appear on the market and not one single chair stamped with MASON has ever been found.  After many years of searching, I was so pleased to find this BRAND chair advertised on the internet by a dealer in the south of the county. We agreed on a price and as he was about to visit the Newark Fair, he offered to deliver it as well.

© William Sergeant 2017 and 2020

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY GRANTHAM with 3-piercing fleur de lys upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings x 4, H stretcher with darts WS 198

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY GRANTHAM with 3-piercing fleur de lys upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings x 4, H stretcher with darts WS 198

Signed chairs by William Shirley senior are so rare that in all the years that I have been searching for Lincolnshire chairs, this is the very first signed armchair that I have ever come across.  When it appeared at the local sale room in Grantham in June 2017, I decided that it should join my collection. You may have noticed that a side chair already exists on this blog, WS 84, and I have another signed SHIRLEY side chair in my collection which is remarkably similar to it. Beside those three, very few have been recorded. There's an armchair in the Geffrye Museum and I know of a couple more. The side chair at figure NE 53 at p. 123 Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) may be an example but is merely stamped SHIRLEY. This minimal number of stamped Shirley Grantham chairs strikes me as slightly odd as he was a chair maker for some considerable time in Grantham.

William learnt his trade in the workshop of the Taylors, first with John during the years 1808-1811 and then with his younger brother William during the years 1811-1815 after which he became Freeman of Grantham. He advertises in the Stamford Mercury in April 1818, seeking an apprentice and a dish turner. He describes himself as a Turner, Windsor and Fancy and Spinning wheel maker of Westgate Grantham. He places a similar advert in June 1819, giving his address as No. 11 Westgate Grantham. This is of significance as it is the same address as William Taylor used when he advertised in the same paper in Dec 1811, which would indicate that he had moved into the premises once occupied by his second master. He marries in 1816 and at the birth of his son Frederick in 1824, he is described as a chairmaker of Southwark. Also, at the birth of his son George in 1828 he is noted as being a chairmaker of Old Kent Road. He advertises twice in 1834 using the address of Westgate Grantham again.

The chair pictured above is typical of a good quality Lincolnshire chair with underarm support pattern that is used by so many makers. The interesting feature is the design motif for the front legs, it has an extra ring above the usual ring and cove decoration as well as an extra lower ring. I wonder if this a nod to the Victorian trait of incorporating more detail into their furniture and getting away from the classical lines of the Georgian period? The middle parts of the H stretcher are fatter than many Grantham examples.

The seat and the stamp may be admired below.

Fine elm seat of medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY GRANTHAM WS 198

 SHIRLEY GRANTHAM stamp on upper rear of seat of WS 198

© William Sergeant 2017

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped TAYLOR GRANTHAM, turned underarm supports, 8 long spindles, 2 x 3 underarm spindles, ring and cove front leg turnings with single lower ring & plain back legs, H stretcher with cross stretcher turned with darts WS 85

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped TAYLOR GRANTHAM, turned underarm supports, 9 long spindles, 2 x 4 underarm spindles, ring and cove front leg turnings with single lower ring & plain back legs, H stretcher with cross stretcher turned with darts WS 85

I happen to find this one at the Newark Antiques Fair and I was convinced it was made by Marsh of Sleaford but on close inspection there is a faint stamp on the rear of the seat which says TAYLOR GRANTHAM. Fortunately no one had noticed this maker's mark and it joined my collection for a very small fee. The underarm turnings are so similar to Marsh of Sleaford that only when they are stood next to each other can you spot the differences. Compare this chair with WS 29 and you will see what I mean.

Other differences are that Taylor has 8 long spindles and 6 short, whereas Marsh uses 9 long and 8 short; Marsh puts a slight chamfer on the underside of the end of the arm bow, absent from the Taylor chair. The ring on the front legs of the Taylor chair is slightly deeper than that on the Marsh.

© William Sergeant 2018 and Julian Parker 2020 

2 x Lincolnshire underarm turnings compared - the turnery signature is clear WS 181

This picture shows the underarm supports of the unstamped bar back chair in WS 180 on the right and the underarm support of the stamped TAYLORS bow back in WS 167 on the left. The underarm supports are so similar and both chairs had the same finish applied, a sort of dark varnish. But the telling detail is the incised ring around the back leg where the side stretcher joins. It's a detail that I have only ever seen on two chairs - both signed TAYLORS and it appears on the comb back chair as well. So there is no doubt which workshop both these chairs came out of: William Taylor, Grantham.

© William Sergeant 2017 and 2020

Medium bow back Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 95

Medium bow back Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 95

In the collection of Steven Voyt. Purchased in Grantham, this bow back spindle back Windsor armchair  probably has never travelled far, as it was made in Grantham. Two more chairs made by Camm can be seen at WS 12 and WS 13, the underarm supports and legs of which could be swapped with this chair and no one would spot the difference, which reinforces the fact that individual makers had their own design features and reproduced them over and over again.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair probably Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 12

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair probably Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 12

An unstamped comb back Windsor armchair from Grantham, identical to this stamped chair by Thomas Camm of Grantham. I had missed the stamped one at the auction in Buckinghamshire but I had taken many pictures for my own records so when this little beauty turned up at a Cambridgeshire auction unstamped and unloved I was certain who made it. I compared individual turnings side by side on the computer - they could have been made the same week from the Grantham workshop of Thomas Camm. It came home with me for a very reasonable price!

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 13

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 13

A comb back Windsor chair, stamped on the seat edge: Camm Grantham. This identifies the maker's workshop as Thomas Camm of Grantham, working about 1825.  This one turned up in an evening auction in Buckinghamshire and I travelled down to view: it was from a house clearance and in excellent condition. When the auction got under way there were very few people in the room and the auctioneer struggled to get bids on anything. The moment arrived for this lot. My hopes were sky high and heart beating fast: I started the bidding at a low amount and outbid a couple in the room; it was going to be mine for a modest sum; then came the moment I was fearful of: an anonymous phone bidder. Well, dear reader, you can imagine what happened next: I continued bidding but every time the phone outbid me. I went way over my limit to several hundred pounds but in the end I let it go. What disappointment! After that the auctioneer stopped the auction and asked me "What was that all about?" I explained that the chair really was the essence of Lincolnshire chairmaking and design, stamped by a maker who did not work for long in Grantham. He told me that the person on the phone was a London dealer who was known to him but had never shown an interest in chairs before. Well, he certainly had to pay a lot of money for it and good luck to him.

William Sergeant 2011 and 2020

3 x Lincolnshire Windsor chairs by Marsh of Sleaford, one high back bow back, one hoop back side chair, and one medium bow back, with 9, 7 and 9 long spindles, bell shaped seats, turned underarms x 2, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 115

3 x Lincolnshire Windsor chairs by Marsh of Sleaford, one high back bow back, one hoop back side chair, and one medium bow back, with 9, 7 and 9 long spindles, bell-shaped seats, turned underarms x 2, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 115

All three chairs bear the maker's stamp on the rear upper part of the seat: MARSH SLEAFORD. This picture demonstrates the interchangeability of component parts: the legs are all identical (accepting that the chair on the left has been reduced in height some time ago). Thomas and James Marsh developed an elegant and balanced turned leg and they stuck by it faithfully through out many years and never went for the two ring motif on later chairs as other makers did.  The underarm turnings are consistent on the two armchairs and all three chairs have the same H stretcher with darts.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor armchair, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 7 long spindles, 8 shirt, turned underarms, bell-shaped seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning WS 101

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor armchair, probably by Marsh of Sleaford WS 101

The Marsh that got away. This lovely chair was offered at auction in the autumn of 2012 just to the south of London. I was not able to view but was happy to bid on the picture alone. A signed chair by Marsh of Sleaford appears at figure NE133 on p. 135 of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) and I was sure that this was by the same maker; the row of turned bobbins on the cross stretcher and the underarm turnings are a hallmark of this maker. Unfortunately I ended up as the underbidder!

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY with 3 piercing fleur de lys upper splat and keyhole piercing lower splat, 6 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, 3 ring leg turnings with 1 lower ring x 4 H stretcher with bobbin and 2 rings WS 73 & WS 74

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY WS 74

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY WS 73

This chair came out of a house in Nettleton, near Caistor and has a stamp of Shirley. Two things of note about this chair; firstly the underarm supports, the design of which is seen on chairs associated with northeast Lincolnsire and south Yorkshire that makes me believe that they were all made in the chair factory owned by Shirley; secondly the design of the cross stretcher uniting the legs which also seen on some spindle back chairs attributed to John Shadford, which is not surprising as they worked together for a long time. Compare the underarm supports to chairs WS 30 & WS 31. A very similar stamped Shirley chair was Exhibit No 28 at the Alford Manor Exhibition in 2019 and appears here. 

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back splat back Windsor rocking chair with 4 laths, turned stiles, scroll arms, turned underarms with 2 short spindles, straight sided seat, 1 ring legs with vase-shaped feet x 4, H stretcher with bobbin turning WS 61

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back splat back Windsor rocking chair WS 61

This chair came from the same auction and the same house as WS 62; there are so many features that are common with the spindle-backed Caistor chairs and this one that there is every chance it was made in the same town. Also I did not realise until I got it home that there are initials stamped on the rear of the seat: 'CM'. A quick search of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) reveals a chairmaking apprentice Charles Maddison working in Caistor - intriguing.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

High back Caistor chair with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 7 spindles both above and below the cross rail, scroll arms, turned underarm supports with 4 short spindles, straight seat sides, 3 ring legs with vase feet, H stretcher with 4 bobbin turning WS 63

A Caistor chair - from John Shadford workshop WS 63

This chair  turned up in a Grantham antique shop: they are just unmistakeable! There are some subtle difference compared to WS 62; no cut outs notched into in the crest rail, no rings on the back spindles and three rings on the legs. These chairs that are attributed to John Shadford in Caistor are really special - by that I mean that this chair design had no predecessor and no evolution. They just appeared in Shadford's notebook and it seems they were made in large quantities for many years.  If you take a moment to consider the traditional Windsor chair, you can see a clear path in the subtle design changes over many years and regions , always being honed to meet the current tastes of fashion - not so with this chair. The reason may be that Shadford deliberately set out to design a new chair in an already extremely competitive market. When he decided to set up in his own business after being an apprentice to William Shirley for 14 years he must have realised that if he was going to stop in Caistor with his mother and their house-renting business he had to produce a different chair to that which was already being made there. Hence he sat down with a clean piece of paper and designed this chair from scratch: this is reinforced by his pencil drawings in his notebook - see these pages reproduced from his notebook He was a remarkable man to produce such a successful design and history does not give him enough credit. This chair is currently on loan to the Caistor Heritage centre, on public display.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

High back Caistor chair with curved notched crest rail, turned stiles, 7 spindles both above and below the cross rail with bobbin and ring turnings, scroll arms, turned underarm supports with 4 short spindles, straight seat sides, 2 ring legs with vase feet, H stretcher with 4 bobbin turning WS 62

A Caistor chair - from John Shadford workshop WS 62

These spindle back Caistor chairs that appear in John Shadford's notebook just keep turning up. This one appeared at an auction in Sheffield and had been in the vendor's family for many years and had been well cared for judging by the great condition. There is a label stuck underneath saying that it was supplied by Summers Bros of Scarborough.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

High back Caistor Windsor rocking chair with curved notched crest rail, turned stiles, 7 spindles both above and below the cross rail with bobbin and ring turnings, scroll arms, turned underarm supports with 4 short spindles, straight seat sides, 1 ring very large legs with vase feet, H stretcher with bobbin and 2 ring turning WS 55

High back Caistor Windsor rocking chair with curved notched crest rail of large proportions WS 55

This Caistor rocking chair attributed to John Shadford is approximately two inches wider than the usual spindle-back Caistor rocking chairs. It has heavier legs which are only slightly exaggerated in this picture by the camera but is in excellent condition  It was obviously made for someone who was a bit broader in the beam!  It is a lovely chair for all that: I was lucky enough to get this out of an auction at Petersfield in Hampshire.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020