Coronation chair
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1937
Materials
Limed oak, velvet, trim, embroidery
Measurements
85 x 49.5 x 38.5 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Chartwell, Kent
NT 1101634
Summary
A pair of limed oak coronation chairs, English, circa 1937, each with rectangular cushioned back and curved seat, on four square-section legs, the back and seats upholstered in green velvet with yellow trim, the seat backs embroidered with the royal monogram 'GR VI'. Made for the coronation of King George VI. In a letter CHAR 1/299/14, Violet Pearman (WSC's private secretary) writes to the private secretary of Earl Marshal, outlining WSC's wish to purchase the seats he and Clementine sat on during the coronation of George VI. They were valued at 2 guineas each.
Provenance
Chartwell was purchased by Winston Churchill in 1922 and for the next 40 years it was the family home. Presented to the National Trust in 1946, Winston and Clementine Churchill continued to live there until 1965 when it was relinquished to the management of the National Trust. Much of the contents of Chartwell were accepted by the Treasury in payment of death duty and retained in the house. Lady Churchill also gifted many pieces and others are on loan from the Churchill family.