Kentish Express Ashford & District
Unusual dumped chair is a mystery
A cyclist says he has been left stumped as to why a mysterious chair has been dumped in a field off a rural lane.
Ted Prangnell, from Kennington, was out riding in Goodcheap Lane, near Hinxhill, on Monday last week when he paused for a break.
He said: “I had stopped, and then looked over a gate when I saw the chair in the field. I thought ‘why would someone dump a chair like that?’
“It is such an oddball thing to have seen. Usually things which are dumped are damaged, broken or old, but this doesn’t appear to be in bad condition.
“It has pulleys and loops for rope or cord on each side and at the back. I suspect someone out there knows what it is for, probably those who left it there know best.”
But what is the chair used for? In the Kentish Express newsroom it has provoked some dark suggestions from history. One suggestion is that it resembles the chairs used to restrain people in an electric chair before being executed.
Another suggestion is that it could be a chair used to dunk witches in lakes and rivers to test to see if they floated during the 16th and 17th centuries.
On Facebook, readers have posted their thoughts. Janet Boyle wrote: “To me it looks like a ducking stool, so if it is, someone probably stole it from a place of history and dumped it.”
Ashford Museum curator Ian Sharp posted: “It looks like a commode. No need for dumping it there as it could have been taken to the council tip.”
Kimberley Duddigan commented: “A picture of it upright would help. It’s not a commode.
“Maybe it was used for medical or dentistry practices or as a ducking stool. It seems to be in good condition, so it’s baffling why it would be dumped.”
Tamsin Tailby wrote: “Looks like you could tie someone up on it, maybe they were having a bit of fun the night before.”
Phil Richards said simply: “It is a chair, you sit on it.”
Colin Chamberlain called for stricter enforcement and surveillance to catch the flytippers.
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@ thekmgroup.co.uk