A Thames Valley Windsor chair

Object Description

An unusual Thames Valley yew and elm Windsor chair attributed to Robert Prior of the Prior family of chair makers.

England circa 1840

Object History

Prior family of Uxbridge

Object Literature

Of the many Windsor chair makers to work in towns and villages outside the major chair making centre of High Wycombe, few could claim a more distinguished place in the history of English Windsor chair making than the Prior family of Uxbridge, Middlesex.

Bernard Cotton, The English Regional Chair, p.76.

At least three members of the Prior family worked as chair makers. This chair has been attributed to Robert Prior, as he appears to be the only member of the family to use underarm splats that mirror the pattern of the back splats. Several chairs of this design have also been found to bear the stamp, Robert Prior, Maker, Uxbridge, ibid., p.79, fig. TV157.

Object Condition

good

Object Details