Furniture History

This course traces the historic development of British furniture from the 16th to the 21st century. Each week we visit a museum or historic house, following a chronology of the construction, style and use of furniture over four centuries. Venues include Ham House, Chiswick House, Strawberry Hill, Osterley Park, the Sir John Soane’s Museum, Leighton House, Eltham Palace, 2 Willow Road (the modernist Hampstead home of architect Erno Goldfinger), and the V & A.

We will look at how styles change over time, and how those changes relate to the way people lived. We will explore themes such as the influence of global trade, the quest for novelty, the relationship of architecture to furniture, the role of patronage, the influence of the ancient world, the role of technology and industrialisation in design change, and perhaps most importantly how social mobility has shaped furniture.

The course is taught in two stand alone parts, each comprising five consecutive Saturdays. You can do one or both, in any order. We will run both courses again next year, if you can’t do them both this year.

The tutors on the course are Dr Amanda Girling-Budd and Dr John Cross, both of whom are knowledgeable and experienced design historians with PhDs in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art, and both also work at the bench as furniture makers and restorers.

All entrance fees to museums and galleries are included in the course fee. All the venues we will visit are accessible by public transport. Teaching hours are normally 10.00am to 3.00pm. The course is limited to 6 students.

For more details and a course outline, email us at [email protected]