Object Description
An early 20th century teak garden ‘shipbreaker’ table and chairs attributed to Heal’s and the Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Company, Blyth, Northumberland.
Throughout the 20th century, companies such as Hughes Bolckow and Castle’s Shipbreakers dismantled obsolete warships, transforming the wood from these iconic vessels into furniture and garden items. British retailer, Heal’s, were known for offering shipbreaker tables like these at their store on Tottenham Court Road, London from the 1920s.
This teak garden table and chairs is one such example of a shipbreaker table, the timber removed an old battle ship and repurposed. An excellent example of 20th century reuse, this compact teak garden dining set is innovatively designed, the four chairs tucking perfectly beneath the tabletop when not in use, bringing function and history to any garden.
Though each chair is fitted with a nameplate which would traditionally bear details of the shipbreaker company and the associated ship, historic weathering has rendered these unreadable. One can only wonder at this its unique story…
Chair Dimensions: H39 x W37 x D37 cm