Horsehair fabric
Used for centuries for its durability and texture, horsehair cloth is a versatile material that, thanks to modern advances, still holds great appeal for interior designers, finds Celia Rufey
Weaving cloth from horses’ tails sounds like a non-starter, even in the days when horses were the main form of transport. A horse tail gives no continuous yarn and, unlike linen or cotton, the hair is too springy to spin. There are early mentions of horsehair being made into products such as sieves for flour mills, while John Miners, a textile specialist with an interest in horsehair, has noted references from the 1720s to its use by cottage weavers in Somerset, Suffolk and Scotland: ‘Easy availability of horsehair probably encouraged attempts to introduce it to the loom.’ Certainly by the mid 18th century, horsehair weaving was established: in the 1760s it was hailed by Thomas Chippendale as the fabric most suitable for covering dining chairs. His reasons were its stain resistance, durability and, importantly for dining chairs, that it does not absorb food smells. George Hepplewhite’s guide of 1789 was less room specific, maintaining ‘mahogany chairs should have the seats of horsehair, plain, striped, checkered etc. at pleasure’.
Horsehair weaves were popular throughout the 19th century and early decades of the 20th. In days of Empire, it went to India where it furnished railway carriages for all the reasons noted by Chippendale, with the bonus in a hot climate that no creature cares to eat it. Meanwhile in Glasgow, Charles Rennie Mackintosh chose blue/ black horsehair check for chair seats in the Argyle Street Tea Rooms he designed in 1898. Then architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, famed for designing country houses, buildings in Delhi and the Cenotaph in Whitehall, chose horsehair weave for the Napoleon chair he designed in 1919, describing it as ‘the most comfortable chair in the world’. His granddaughter, Candia, speculates he chose horsehair for its hardwearing qualities and the quiet symmetry of the Ermine 601 weave pattern. His chair can still be ordered in this design now.
Horsehair cloth is woven today by just one commercial weaver in Britain, established by textile merchant John Boyd, who built his own factory in
Castle Cary, Somerset, in 1851. In this building, looms of 1870 unlock the mystery of how tail hair was tamed. The looms are set up with the warp – the long threads – in cotton, linen or silk, then bunches of hair are offered up to the loom for the weft, which weaves in and out across the warp. The stroke of genius is in the design of a mechanical picker that takes just one hair at a time. The width of the finished cloth, 65cm, is limited by the length of the tails. These come from Mongolia, where working horses’ tails are cropped to prevent them catching in machinery. They grow again, six or eight times in a horse’s lifetime.
Anna Smith, owner and managing director of John Boyd Textiles, has developed the range in response to demand. ‘ We still weave the historic patterns but designers are looking for more texture and patterns, herringbone for instance, and an expanded colour palette. We have our own dye house, so we can offer custom colours, for interiors and for the fashion industry that uses our weaves for handbags, shoes and trimming, as has happened through history.’
The weave’s width limitation has not deterred curators, antiques dealers and interior designers from recognising the rare qualities of horsehair. Max Rollitt, antiques dealer, furniture maker and interior designer, describes it as ‘totally unique in its qualities. It can have the sheen of silk but without the fragility, and it reflects and holds the light in its own distinct way. I particularly like it on dining chairs and have used it for Knole sofas. Traditional browns and blacks are particularly good for Georgian and Regency furniture that requires authentic ‘period’ styling.’ Georgina Taylor of Overbury Interiors also follows Chippendale in choosing horsehair for dining chairs. ‘Besides its practicality and provenance, horsehair can look sleek and contemporary, especially in the exciting colours John Boyd Textiles is offering now.’ Meanwhile, Kate Aslangul of Oakley Moore Interior Design has used it as a wallcovering. ‘I chose horsehair for its acoustic qualities. It’s such a versatile material.’ Versatile indeed, and string instruments with their horsehair bows add music to this tale of tails and an extraordinary cloth.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Bar-back mahogany chairs upholstered in Criollo Red horsehair fabric at Max Rollitt; fabrics are woven by John Boyd Textiles using tail hair cropped from working horses in Mongolia; these dining chairs upholstered in Paso Green Grey horsehair are a practical choice in a room scheme designed by Overbury Interiors; Ezralow Design Ltd has used horsehair to dramatic effect in this dining room; contemporary designers appreciate the new colours now available from John Boyd Textiles; horsehair has a wonderful lustre and is a hardwearing choice for dining chairs, R D Robins.