Welsh vernacular craft lives on in style
Wed. October 18, 2006
by Betsan Bowen – Reprinted from the Cambria Magazine, August-September 2006
Wales has a well deserved reputation for its country furniture and folk art, as important to its culture as its language, music and poetry. Furniture such as the cwpwrdd duaddarn, dresser, coffor bach, stick chair and farmhouse table are not only beautiful and practical items of furniture but also pieces of art in their own right which link us to our rich cultural heritage.
Thanks to work of Iorwerth Peate and his colleagues in the last century; with the development of The National Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagan’s (considered to be the best museum of its kind in Europe) so much of our furniture and folk art heritage has been preserved. Many excellent items are on display there and at other Museums across Wales in particular Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth and Carmarthen Museum.
We know very little about the people who made these items but we do know that there were organised cabinet makers workshops especially in some of the larger towns for example Morley’s of Carmarthen and Owen’s of Haverfordwest. However, many of the pieces were made by individual carpenters and joiners who may also have made farm gates and coffins, working on these one day and a dresser or farmhouse chair the next.
The fact that so much Welsh vernacular furniture remains is testimony to the craftsmen who made them, their skill in their craft and understanding of the materials they used. They used different types of timber; pine and mahogany being imported but also native Welsh wood such as ash, elm, sycamore and most especially oak, which was and still is highly prized.
The collector should look for colour, patination, originality, form and design when buying a piece. Repairs and restoration are inevitable and acceptable due to the wear and tear of every day use. Although, over-restoration should be avoided, as should “marriages” (marriage in antique terms refers to a part of a piece, which originally belonged to another piece). When starting to collect it is advisable to go to a reputable dealer who is passionate about what he or she does. They should be able give an idea of when and where in Wales the piece was made and advise you of any repairs and restoration which has been carried out.
When Iorwerth Peate wrote The Welsh House in 1940, he warned against the “the pride of intellect” that would not “stoop to look at beauty unless its own kings and great men have had a hand in it”. If these items are neglected today it is because they are considered expensive or unfashionable, but they bear no resemblance in terms of quality to mass-produced veneered furniture. As for fashion, of course Welsh vernacular furniture will outlive the minimalist style but how clever are those who have embraced both, recognising the skill in design of the 200 year old linen press or coffer which sits as happily in a contemporary room as a traditional Welsh house.
Betsan Bowen with her husband Tim run Tim Bowen Antiques from their showrooms in Ferryside Carmarthenshire and are open every Friday & Saturday. Telephone 01267267 122