Chilterns chair

I'm proud of a set of five chairs I managed to buy that were made locally in the Chilterns, probably around the early-mid 1800s. The seats were fashioned from elm; the outer backs were steam-bent ash; and the legs and spindles were turned from beech by 'bodgers' using pole lathes at their camps in the Chilterns woods. It is very satisfying sitting on chairs that are so closely associated with the woods I love. However, one thing is very clear - people's bottoms were a lot smaller in those days! Shame on us today - must get out into those woods more!