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Did you know that country chairs have their own language?

For centuries, across different regions of England, people have made chairs for everyday use based on local traditions and materials. The craftmanship behind regional chairmaking has passed from generation to generation, and unique design features have formed distinct chairmaking dialects.

Museum of the Home’s new display Splats and Spindles: Six English Regional Chairs presents chairs from the Bernard and Geraldine Cotton Chair Collection and Archive – a collection representing Dr Cotton’s life-long project of deciphering and linking chair characteristics to specific regions, trades and traditions.

Get up close with six regional chairs, learn the stories of both celebrated and lesser-known makers, and discover how everyday furniture can reflect local history.

Visit the display for free during the Museum’s opening hours, learn more about artist Ella Merriman’s work with a screening of the short film RUSH, or book onto a Curatorial and Collection Store Tour to delve deeper into the details of the display with a behind the scenes look at more chairs from the Cotton collection.

Find out more at: Museumofthehome.org.uk

Made possible with funding from the Regional Furniture Society and the Bernard and Geraldine Cotton Fund.