The influence of craftwork

As an architectural student, Gimson had spent holidays travelling around the English countryside. He sketched fine churches and country houses but also traditional barns, metalwork fittings and country furniture in some of the inns or guest houses where he stayed. He collected old and new domestic craft items. Contemporary photographs of his cottage at Pinbury include pottery pitchers and bowls as well as traditional seventeenth- and eighteenth-century metalwork such as candle sconces which inspired his own designs. He observed traditional craftsmen such as stone masons, wheelwrights and thatchers at work. In 1890, he learnt how to use a pole lathe to turn ash, elm and yew timbers into rush-seated ladder back chairs. There was a constant demand for this type of country furniture.

 

Gimson used woodworking techniques such as chamfering – the precise cuts made with a two-handled draw knife by wheelwrights to reduce the weight of the timber without affecting the strength – to give a taut, elegant line and to add visual interest to his designs. It was used on a variety of furniture including plate racks, dressers and the underframing of tables and had the added advantage of softening sharp edges and anticipating wear and tear.

 

Chests, cabinets and sideboards based on a frame-and-panel construction were put together using beautifully cut dovetails and pinned joints. The open construction work, with details such as joints left exposed, was a reflection of the Arts and Crafts idea of honesty.