The Spring 2020 edition (No.72) of the RFS Newsletter is now available to members. In this issue Future Society Events including visits to Leeds and Lancaster, the Research in Progress meeting on medieval furniture and the annual conference in Lincoln are detailed. There are many interesting contributions to the Short Notes and Queries section, including an appeal for further information on spring locks in medieval chests, a note on new light on the Ordsall Hall, Salford, bed and a newly-identified chest of drawers by a mid-nineteenth century Weymouth cabinet maker. The most recent Letter from America highlights the range of symposia, exhibitions and conferences in the United States this year, while the update on British and Irish Furniture Makers Online (BIFMO) describes new material recently published and encourages feedback and further contributions. Reports from the Oak House, West Bromwich and the week-long study tour to Ireland show the diversity of furniture and buildings visited by RFS members. Full details are in the Newsletter.
- Letter from America – Daniel Ackermann
- Spring locks in medieval chests– Chris Pickvance
- New light on the Ordsall Hall bed
– Adam Bowett - Gillows research material – Susan Stuart
- Evolution of the rocking chair – John Boram
- Judges’ Lodgings Museum, Lancaster – Lynda Jackson
- The London Upholders’ Company and its place in furniture history – John Houston
- A Weymouth cabinet maker, 1869 – Piers Keating
- The Great Grenadier’s chair – Linda Hall
- A Welsh-American stick-back – Jeremy Bate
- British and Irish Furniture Makers Online – Laurie Lindey
Additional reports:
- Oak House
- West Bromwich
- Ireland Study Tour
Lock on clamped oak chest in Kent, 1250-1350. Photograph Chris Pickvance
The Newsletter is published twice a year, and is one of the benefits of RFS membership. A full list of articles in previous editions can be found here: Newsletter research articles