An Arts & Crafts Lakes School Oak & Leather Chair by Arthur W. Simpson (The Handicrafts, Kendal) c. 1920. A classic Simpson design. An excellent decorative addition to any hallway or bedroom perfect for tying shoelaces. Featuring:

• Solid English Oak throughout.

• Very well figured quarter-sawn English Oak (quarter-sawing is a way of sawing oak to produce boards with superior strength which also reveals decorative 'medullary rays' in its grain).

• Single slat back with carver motif.

• Tapered square legs joined to rails with traditional blind tenons with stretcher free design.

• Lattice leather seat.

Approximate dimensions are:

• Seat Height 360mm (1 foot 2 inches) [A lower height than a standard dining chair].

• Overall Height 880mm (2 feet 10 1/2 inches).

• Overall Width 370mm (1 foot 2 1/2 inches).

• Overall Depth 450mm (1 foot 5 1/2 inches).

c. 1920.

'Arthur W. Simpson, The Handicrafts, Kendal' metal label (matching figure 137 in The Beautiful Furniture of The Simpsons of Kendal by Hugh Wright, Bookcase Carlisle, 2011) and stamped production number under the back rail.

Good condition with tight joints the original finish and leather. Some splits and cracking the the 100 years old leather straps (as usual) which have all been reinforced to the underside, forming a good firm seat. If you wish to have further specific photographs or talk to us for a more detailed condition report then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Arthur W. Simpson and his Kendal based furniture making company 'The Handicrafts' was a renowned arts and crafts maker associated with very high quality hand crafted furniture, who worked with by members of the Artworker's Guild, such as Voysey and Baillie-Scott. Today, items of Simpson furniture are hard to find and avidly collected. Materials, workmanship and design are always of the highest quality.

The most British of woods, that can produce really special results. English oak has been used for hundreds of years to construct everything from sea-going vessels to fine furniture. Although oak grows widely across Europe and North America, craftsmen continue to cherish English oak which grows more slowly than its foreign counterparts giving it strength, durability. Quarter sawn boards are very straight grained and have distinctive growth rings and medullary rays that give a very beautiful effect as well as being renowned for their superior stability and strength.

The Arts & Crafts Lakes School was a development of the Arts and Craft Cotswold School. The most significant designers and makers were Arthur Simpson, in Kendal, Stanley Webb Davies at Windermere and the Keswick School of Industrial Arts. Peter Hall of Staveley still produces furniture in this tradition. The Lakes School maintained the ideals with its simple lines, attention to the finest of details, the use of beautiful locally materials and the focus traditional tools and techniques. In fact Stanley Webb Davies' workshop didn't use any power tools at all, even to cut logs from timber! The dominant material was English Oak and typical decorative details often include exposed joints and subtle carved details.