A George III yew and elm armchair, in Gothic style, circa 1770. This type of chair is commonly attributed to the Thames Valley region. This form of Windsor chair is often referred to as being of the 'Strawberry Hill' design after the house at Twickenham which was remodelled in the Gothic style by Horace Walpole, its type being generally deemed to be the best of all Windsor type chairs and... More

A George III yew and elm armchair, in Gothic style, circa 1770. This type of chair is commonly attributed to the Thames Valley region. This form of Windsor chair is often referred to as being of the 'Strawberry Hill' design after the house at Twickenham which was remodelled in the Gothic style by Horace Walpole, its type being generally deemed to be the best of all Windsor type chairs and demonstrating that in the 18th century Windsor chairs could be situated in the most esteemed interiors. Henry Williams supplied the Prince of Wales with several mahogany Windsor armchairs for St. James's Palace in 1729 (G.Bernard Hughes, 'Windsor Chairs in Palace and Cottage', Country Life, 24 MAY 1962, p1242). Provenance: Formerly part of theÊcollection of George Demaine Haslam, a wealthyÊbusinessmanÊin the cotton tradeÊwho set about furnishing Dunham Knowle, Cheshire in the 1920's.ÊDemaine HaslamÊpurchased much ofÊhis furniture collection from Mallett, Partridge and other prominent dealers during that period. He later moved to Danehurst, Daneshill, West Sussex. Thence by family descent to the current owner. For a virtually identical pair see Sotheby's London 18th November 2008. Another closely related pair but in laburnum and ash sold as lot 149 Sotheby's 30th June 2004. Visit www.dnfa.com for condition reports. Less