Chair of the Month: June 2023

Chair of the month for June is this rush-seated chair, made for St Paul’s Cathedral, London. It was made in High Wycombe, probably at Walter Skull’s factory in the 1870s.

The workers who made rush seats were knows as ‘matters’. Before the 1880s when local women could still find work as lace makers, most chair seat matters were men. As the hand-made lace industry declined, women began making rush seats. From 1880 onwards, most matters were women.

This chair can be seen in the Hidden Hands exhibition at Wycombe Museum until 10 September. There is a lot more information about chair matting and other Chilterns crafts done by women in the exhibition.