Design Histories






Plank chair



Chairs would have been high status objects and reserved for the most important members of society. They were often symbolic of a person’s importance – for example, as lord or lady of the manor.

Plank chair is designed to reflect a sense of power and importance. The construction is simple and is inspired by the way early furniture was made – using simple planks to create what we refer to as ‘boarded’ furniture. In the early days of Aydon, furniture-making was not a separate profession and furniture would have been made by general carpenters. This means the joinery was normally quite simple.

The striking red stain is an environmentally-friendly pigmented linseed oil finish. We often think of castles as fairly drab spaces because much of the original décor has been lost over time. In fact, the spaces would have been more richly decorated than we assume – with painted motifs on the walls and textile wall-hangings. Strong colours were popular in the Medieval period and had symbolic meanings. The pigments would have been expensive and their use was a sign of wealth.


Materials: Ash. Treated with a red stain.

Designer: Anthony Forsyth




Design Histories Working Group