Pride of place WINDSOR CHAIRS

These sturdy wooden stalwarts of the home are still very much in demand today. Janet Gleeson explores their story as she continues her series on regional antiques

- Janet Gleeson

Understated, robust, affordable and versatile what's not to like about the iconic country chairs named after a famous royal town? But if you've always assumed Windsors were christened after the place where they were made, think again their association is rather less straightforward. Legend has it that George II sought shelter in a cottage in a storm and was offered a simple wooden seat. He was so impressed by it that he had a copy made and called it a Windsor chair. Sadly, however, this colourful tale is unlikely to be true, and Windsor was actually the hub where many of these chairs were sold, rather than the place they were created.

What defines a Windsor chair? Styles vary according to when and where they were made, but they always have a distinctive method of construction. Unlike many chairs, which have legs and uprights for the back support formed from a single, solid piece of wood, the components of a Windsor are all made separately. Imagine a four-legged stool with a back; sticks of turned wood are fitted into drilled holes in a solid wood seat to form the back support, and legs are similarly slotted, wedged and glued into holes underneath.

This method evolved because in the early days, various artisans were involved in the chairs' creation. Itinerant craftsmen, or 'bodgers', working in the woods were responsible for turning the legs, back sticks and stretchers on pole lathes, while seats and back splats were made by benchmen in small workshops. Finally, a framer would fit it all together and finish the piece.