A chair fit for a little prince

THE work of a Master Craftsman from Thame, was recognised recently when an exhibition at The Real Wood Furniture Company, in historic Woodstock, revealed for the first time, a piece of his work hopefully destined for the nursery of the new, young royal family.

Designer, Chris Baylis (left) with John Francis, the maker of The Windsor George child’s chair

Over 30, traditional, Windsor-style children’s chairs from the personal collection of the company’s founder, Chris Baylis, representing seating through the ages from 1770 to the present day, was on display, alongside several 1/6 ‘miniatures’ that would have been travelling salesmen’s samples.

But the star of the show at this exhibition was without doubt, the very latest Windsor child’s chair, a chair that it’s designer, Chris Baylis, said he knew had to be ‘boyish, robust and throne-like’ – in fact a chair made for a prince of the House of Windsor – The Windsor George. The chair commemorates the birth, eight months ago, of Prince George, and includes his name carved into the top rail.

Chris himself had never designed a child’s Windsor chair before, but said that he was inspired by the ‘general clamour’ surrounding the birth of a son to Prince William and Kate Middleton. “It occurred to me that there could be no better tribute to the birth of a future king in the House of Windsor, than to design and make a chair of ‘Windsor’ style that reflected the best traditions of the Thames Valley chair-making traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries,” he explained.

“From the first sketches through several proto-types, I am endebted to the in-put of Master Chairmaker, John Francis, from Thame, without whose skills and keen eye, the chair would not have achieved fruition. I have collaborated with John on several Windsor chairs we have made and it is indeed a great pleasure to work with someone whose eyes see things very much as I see them. Windsor chairs are an amalgam of angles and a change to the angle of one component can impact massively on the balance of the whole chair.

“If protocol allows, we will present the first ‘George’ as a gift to the young prince.”

Unveiling the Windsor George, Michael Welson, of Auctioneers and Valuers, Bonhams, said: “We are privileged to have someone like Chris and his craftsmen, to maintain such high standards of good construction. “Any maker from the 18th Century, ” he continued, would be able to come here and feel completely at home, and find it completely natural that you are tweaking designs slightly and making your own mark on them.

“The ‘George’ is not only attractive but very practical – George’s cheeks will fit so well into that shaped seat,” he joked. To see something made to the same standards as 150 years-ago is very rare.

“The George has in it the spirit of Woodstock and it is hoped that the Prince’s parents, William and Catherine, will gracefully accept this very first Windsor George. I am sure any doting grandparent too would be so pleased to give it to there grandchild and I am sure it will sell well,” concluded Michael.

For more information about The Real Wood Furniture Company, visit: http://www.rwfco.com/about.shtml