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Welcome to the UK Chair Caning Tour of 2015

Posted by brandy in Travelogue

I turned 40 in October of 2015 and daydreamed of an island adventure. Although I imagined it more tropical at the outset, the result was THE MOST. AMAZING. AND NERDY. ADVENTURE a chair nerd could ever dream of. The UK Chair Caning Tour was so packed with chair nerdery that it must be divided into 5 parts. Stay tuned for more descriptive episodes or scroll back through my Instagram to see the nerdiness as it happened in real time.

Chatsworth House “Make Yourself Comfortable” Contemporary Chair Exhibit

1. Liverpool to Chatsworth House: in which I have fortuitous experiences with a fox, red squirrels, and driving on the left to a stately country home featuring a chair exhibit.

Gavin Munro, genius furniture designer and arborist (right) and Ed (minion) take me on a tour of Full Grown Farm

2. Full Grown Farm Chair Orchard: in which I meet new friends who are growing chairs, sit in a 1,ooo year old stone chair, and see a private collection of chairs in a private home built in 1666.

Handbag from the Cannage Collection of Christian Dior was one of the many exciting #canespottings

3. American Chair Nerd in London: in which I attend the Basketmakers Association Fall Meeting where the ultimate chair caning guru Brian Crossley talks about the history of chair caning only from about 3000 years ago. I meet Rachael South, a 3rd generation chair caner and badass weaver. I have a beer with another guru and sista from another mista, Sue Routh. Canespotting happens at every corner.

This about sums up the my excitement about the chair collection at the V & A.

4. The Victoria & Albert Museum: Though technically in London, it deserves its own post for the concentration of extraordinary chairs.

5. Chair Nerd’s Dream Come True: in which I am escorted by my ultimate chair nerd guru Brian Crossley on a tour of Lady Lever Art Gallery, Tatton Park, and see Roman Ruins in Chester, UK.

6. Arundel Castle in Sussex, the home of the Duke of Norfolk, has a collection of chairs that rival the V & A.

Bonus material: Liverpool football match, Paris, Dublin, and Cambridge