The chair on which a young Queen Victoria sat for her coronation is to be restored at a cost of £200,000.00. She was one of many sovereigns to sit on the historic chair. The only sovereigns who were not crowned on the chair were Edward V, Mary II, and Edward VIII.
Edward I ordered the chair 700 years ago in 1300 to be built to house the Stone of Scone, which is now in Edinburgh. The ‘Hammer of the Scots’ commissioned Master Walter, the court painter, to decorate the chair which stood on four golden lions and was two metres high. The coronation chair featured lavish paintings, glass, and gilding. There were paintings of birds and foliage on the chair. It also had an image of Edward 1 or Edward the Confessor on the back. Unfortunately, this rich medieval decoration has largely disappeared and the wood of the chair has been affected by graffiti. The coronation chair is in dire need of restoration.
The Coronation Chair and Graffiti
The chair was stored in an easily accessible room in Westminster Abbey during the 18th and 19th centuries. Unfortunately, the boys from the Westminster School nearby used to scribble graffiti on the chair. One boy even wrote that he or one of his friends had slept on the chair for two nights! He wrote: “P. Abbot slept in this chair 5, 6 July 1800."
This graffiti damaged the wood of the chair. Another problem is the brown paint applied to the chair for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. This obscures the medieval gilding and will probably be removed. Polish and wax applied over the years also had a detrimental effect on the chair, making the paint look dull, so these may also be removed. Luckily, the actual structure of the chair remains fairly sound.
The Conservation Team
The conservation of the chair, which has been commissioned by Westminster Abbey, will be undertaken by a team from the Hamilton Kerr Institute from Cambridge University. Although some restoration was done in 2004 this could not be completed because the work was carried out in the Abbey and not done in a proper studio environment. Now it is possible to carry out the conservation work in a special enclosure with the right conditions inside the Abbey.
The conservation will be done in St. George’s Chapel inside the Abbey. The Visitors to Westminster Abbey will be able to watch the restorers as they carry out the delicate work of re-fixing the paint and gilding which has become detached from the wood. Many will be pleased to see the coronation chair restored to its former glory.
References
- £200,000 Bill For Conservation Of Queen's Coronation Chair
- England's 700 year old Coronation Chair to be restored
- Abbey Commissions Conservation Work On Coronation Chair
Lisa Sanderson - Lisa has been a freelance-writer for many years. She used to write for the topic, British Social History, for Suite 101 under the ...
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