Windsor chair
The Windsor chair is a common, especially in Great Britain and North America chair type. It was developed in the early 18th century in England and is still in production today. It is a very light chair, consisting of a human body shape slightly adapted seat and turned legs and a chair made of individual, equally twisted rods backrest. Many Windsor chairs also have arm rests.
Features
The Windsor chair owes its popularity mainly to the small amount of wood that is necessary for its production. Chair legs and backrest can be rotated out of branches. Alternatively, was once used triangular wooden sticks that were knocked out of tree trunks. Its preparation is relatively simple, so that even beginners are relatively able to produce these chairs. Complex compounds such as dovetail joint or the like, which require a greater experience in craftsmanship, are not necessary in the design of the chair. Only holes are drilled optionally into the armrest of the chair for the assembly in the seat and the upper back as well. Its stability he wins by the obliquely inserted four chair legs, which are additionally strengthened by three cross-links.
The basic design was gladly taken up as a rocking chair version.
History
The Windsor chair was near the English town of High Wycombe, his name he bears, however, after the city of Windsor. Windsor was right on the River Thames and is therefore ideally placed there to transport chairs manufactured to London, the main market. From London, the chairs were often resold. The trade routes led mainly by ships along the British coast. According to current knowledge, they were introduced in 1726 by the Governor of Pennsylvania, Patrick Gordon, in America.
The Windsor chair is one of the first mass-produced furniture. Its design makes it also allowed craftsmen with relatively small holdings, chair legs and the arms to produce and to store it without much space requirement. For the production of even relatively little tool was necessary. The manufacturer needed an ax or a saw, a drill, a hammer and a planer. For turning the bars and chair legs, a lathe was necessary. Foot-operated lathe like a seesaw lathe existed since the 16th century. For users such Windsor chair was relatively inexpensive to purchase. Their lightweight design was also a significant advantage in a time in which you traditionally aufstellte chairs rather along the walls and stood only for meals at the table.