Take a seat

IN the spirit of promoting Living National Treasures (page 34), the Heritage Crafts Association—whose Red List of Endangered Crafts and new Endangered Crafts Award has brought much-needed recognition to heritage skills—has secured funding for two people to learn the art of making Clissett chairs (left), thanks to a generous donor.

A firm feature of the Arts-and-crafts movement, with a distinctive ladder back and rush seat, Clissett chairs are named for 19th-century Herefordshire chairmaker Philip Clissett. Today, there is only one remaining maker with a direct father-to-son/mentor-to-mentee line of knowledge to Clissett—lawrence Neal.

‘We are looking for two individuals to learn from Lawrence directly (as apprentices), in Stockton, Warwickshire, for one to two years, before moving the whole workshop up to Marchmont House [COUNTRY LIFE, August 16 & 23, 2017] stable in Berwickshire to let Lawrence retire and take the business forwards within a charitable structure,’ explains the benefactor Hugo Burge. ‘There will be a base salary and the opportunity to grow your income, taking subsidised accommodation on the estate when you establish the workshop. This is a unique opportunity to build and create a new legacy; a new chapter of chairmaking.’

The deadline for applications is March 31; for further information, visit www.heritagecrafts.org.uk