This is a fine quality antique English George V solid oak armless revolving armless desk chair, with an upholstered tan-brown leather seat, circa 1920, which is in very good condition.

Summary:

• Item: Armless Desk Chair 
• Circa: 1920  
• Period: George V 
• Provenance: England, UK 
• Mechanism: Hillcrest 
• Wood: Oak 
• Height adjustable mechanism 
• Curved bar back 
• Elegant vertical fan back 
• Cleaned & wax polished by hand 
• Brown tan leather hand tacked brass stud seat 
• Splayed oak legs 
• Rotates 360 degrees (does not recline) 
• Adjustable height  
• Cleaned & serviced mechanism 
• Very comfortable 
• Lovely rich colour & patination 
• Excellent working condition 
• Free delivery to mainland England, Wales & southern Scotland* 
• 14-day free UK returns policy 

Description:

This is a fine quality antique English George V solid oak armless revolving armless desk chair, with an upholstered tan-brown leather seat, circa 1920, which is in very good condition.  Oak was a popular timber of choice for utility office chairs, owing to the natural strength of grain in functional furniture.  The revolving desk chair features a comfortable curved bar back, supported by an elegant vertical fan back, with bentwood supports.  The armless desk chair seat has been upholstered in a tan-brown leather, which is finished with hand-tacked brass studs to the perimeter.  The office chair frame has been tightened, cleaned and French polished by hand, to a professional standard, in our workshop.  The chair sits on four splayed sturdy oak legs.  The armless desk chair incorporates an English Hillcrest revolving mechanism which rotates 360 degrees.  The seat height can be adjusted by turning a shaped metal large nut on the underside of the chair and rotating the chair at the same time.  This office chair was not designed to recline (it only revolves).  The chair mechanism has been cleaned, restored and serviced and is in excellent working order.  The desk chair frame is sturdy and the item is extremely comfortable to sit on, as it features a lovely padded seat. 

The armless desk chair boasts a dark rich brown colour.  It has a lovely patination which can only be achieved through age and years of care and cleaning it has received. 

This swivel office desk chair would look superb in a variety of rooms in the home or office, in either a traditional or contemporary setting.  It would certainly grace any home. 

History of the Office Chair: 

An office chair, or desk chair, is a type of chair that is designed for use at a desk in an office. It is usually a swivel chair, with a set of wheels for mobility and adjustable height. Modern office chairs typically use a single, distinctive load bearing leg (often called a gas lift), which is positioned underneath the chair seat. Near the floor this leg spreads out into several smaller feet, which are often wheeled and called casters.  

Before the nineteenth century, most of the global workforce was employed in agrarian labour—an “office chair” was only relevant for the wealthy, government officials and academics. In fact, Charles Darwin is the earliest known adopter of a proto-office chair, grafting wheels onto a normal chair in the 1840s so he could swivel between specimens. It goes without saying that this was a fairly uncommon use case. 

Then came the railroad, the advent of manufacturing, and the Industrial Revolution. As the traditional model of labour was upended, more administrative workers were needed for logistical coordination and bookkeeping, and the concept of general and administrative workers was born. Businesses empowered by rail access in scaling and expanding to new markets employed more and more people—creating a cadre of middle managers. 

This was the first time in history that productivity accrued on a mass scale from people sitting indoors. As white-collar workers became a crucial economic resource for the first time, their bosses began to recognize the value of making them comfortable. 

The “Centripetal Office Chair”, designed by the inventor Thomas Warren and launched by the American Chair Company in 1851 at the Great Exhibition in London.  An example of this office chair now sits in the Brooklyn Museum. 

Office chairs were developed around the mid-19th century onwards, as more workers spent their shifts sitting at a desk, leading to the adoption of several features not found on other chairs. 

The Hillcrest mechanism, often found on early 20th-century (Edwardian to 1950’s) British oak or mahogany office chairs, is a, robust, patented, iron, screw-and-spring assembly that allows for 360-degree rotation, height adjustment, and tilting/reclining. Typically stamped with a “Hillcrest, Registered Trademark, W.H.F., England” label, these, durable mechanisms were designed for, heavy use, commonly featuring a central, threaded, screw, for, adjusting, chair, height. 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_chair

Source: https://www.branchfurniture.com/blogs/turn-key/the-history-of-the-modern-office-chair#:~:text=Mid%2D1800s%3A%20Victorian%20Design,sits%20in%20the%20Brooklyn%20Museum.  

Dimensions:

The following information provides dimensions on when the chair height is lowered and also raised to its highest setting using by adjusting the central steel rod: 

External Height (Lowered) = 86cm / 33⅞” / 2ft 9⅞” 

External Height (Raised) = 97.5cm / 38⅜” / 3ft 2⅜”

External Width = 43cm / 17” / 1ft 5”

External Depth = 44.5cm / 17½”/ 1ft 5½” 

Back Height (From Seat) = 44.5cm / 17½”/ 1ft 5½”   

Seat Height – Centre (Lowered) = 47cm / 18½” / 1ft 6½”   

Seat Height – Centre (Raised) = 58.5cm / 23” / 1ft 11” 

Seat Height – Front Rail (Lowered) = 44.5cm / 17½”/ 1ft 5½”   

Seat Height – Front Rail (Raised) = 55.5cm / 21⅞” / 1ft 9⅞” 

Seat Width (Leather Pad) = 36cm / 14⅛” / 1ft 2⅛” 

Seat Width (Inc. Frame) = 43cm / 17” / 1ft 5”

Seat Depth (Leather Pad) = 34cm / 13⅜” / 1ft 1⅜” 

Seat Depth (Frame) = 39.5cm / 15½” / 1ft 3½”   

Terms & Conditions:

Before purchasing this item, please ensure that you have read and agreed to our Terms & Conditions of Sale.  Furthermore, if you have any questions or concerns regarding these terms, we encourage you to contact us to discuss them in advance.

Product Code: 116062