Buying advice from Arts and Crafts specialist dealer Patch Rogers

As the Sussex chair was produced in large numbers, they do come up fairly regularly, with Patch seeing one or two a month. ‘The early ones tend to be stockier and slightly thicker in the gauge of the timber, which can be anything from ash to beech to oak,’ explains Patch. He believes that the chairs were made in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which was the centre for English chair making at the time.

While prices for the chairs remained constant for decades, Patch says that they have doubled in the last four or five years, with the Philip Webb armchair starting at £500, and very early examples (models referred to as the Rossetti and Madox Brown) in exceptional condition, with the original rushing, going for up to £1,500. Patch advises buyers to check carefully for breaks in the frame, as the chairs are not particularly strong, and also for woodworm. A damaged seat is less serious as the rush can be replaced but, if getting this done, make sure it’s with rush, not paper rush, which would devalue the chair.