Chairs

At the weekend I was chatting with John Michell who we met last year at the International Scouts Centenary Jamboree. He manages a wood for the Woodland Trust and burns charcoal. He mentioned that he lives in Mendlesham, Suffolk so I asked if he'd heard about Mendlesham chairs.
"I live at 16 Front Street where Richard Day was born in 1785" was the surprise answer !

Day made his chairs in Mendlesham in the early 19th century. The undercarriage is similar to Windsor construction but the back is framed up in the style of a Sheraton chair. He used yew and fruit wood and chairs nearly all have one or two lines of boxwood stringing in the back rails and splat. However he didn't sign his work and I don't think a marked example has ever been found. If they ever come on the market they sell for a large sum.





Last night about 9 our neighbours little boy knocked on the door in his underpants to ask if we could come and help his mum as she'd fallen downstairs ! She looked in a bad way so I called the paramedics. Vanessa came and sat with her and after getting him to put some clothes on I took him round to our house and tried to calm him down.
I gave him a set of twig crayons and a twig pencil and he did the very sweet drawing of my Goldsmith Windsor - I think there's some talent there, let's hope he gets some encouragement.
The mum is OK.