Batheaston

Batheaston

The Arts & Crafts Movement of the 19th century respected the integrity of the craftsman, the honesty of natural materials and the eloquence of immaculate proportion; ideals at the heart of the Batheaston collection.

Each piece of furniture you order from the Batheaston range will be hand-made individually for you, using traditional furniture making techniques.

The simple, timeless designs are produced from solid natural wood, including Oak & Ash taken from trees only from sustainable woodlands.

As each piece is individually hand-made, dimensions may vary slightly from piece to piece.

In November 1961 the Rural Industries Bureau held a furniture restoration course at their workshops in Wimbledon, which led to the chance meeting of Tom Benham from Bath and Richard Gill from Skipton who became firm friends.

From farming stock in Somerset and the Yorkshire Dales, where traditionally the first son took over the ancestral farm and any other offspring had to look for alternative employment in the rural community, whether it be blacksmith, wheelwright, farrier or furniture maker, it is no real surprise that these two men were practically minded, making a living with their hands.

Tom went on to found the chair side of the business in the early 1970’s reproducing the finest models of the Windsor chairmakers art which had evolved over the previous 300 years. Within a few years frame chairs, cabinetry and tables followed in traditional and contemporary styles.

Batheaston Furniture Makers has always prided itself on being able to build furniture to suit all tastes and most importantly still employs local craftsmen and women to turn basic materials into the heirlooms of the future.

Batheaston Furniture Makers revived the art of Windsor chair making in 1971 in a small workshop in a village on the outskirts of Bath. It remains a family run business dedicated to producing the very best Windsor chairs made today.

The Windsor chair as we know it by its typical method has been known to exist for over three hundred years, a probable development from such simple items as the three legged milking stool.
The typical Windsor chair is an object of beautiful construction with lines that are all about splay and curve rather than straightness, so there is not much room for the use of a rule and square in its making.
About the only flat surface on a Windsor is the underside of the seat.
Most likely developed by the wheelwright and turner-men used to moving wood into shapes.