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Redisplaying the Houfe Memorial Chairs
In a damp cupboard in a little old North Yorkshire church, sat two dusty chairs… In 2015 we received a letter expressing deep concern about the whereabouts of a pair of chairs which had been donated by an ancestor of the letter writer. She had been to Allerton Mauleverer church and not seen the chairs. She wanted to know where they were! In some confusion I set about their discovery. The wooden chairs in question were made and presented to the church by ‘M.E.A. Houfe’, in memory of her mother and father, in 1902. They have beautifully carved backs, with intricate patterns and details of birds. The Houfe memorial…
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CCT Chattels project for the North
Cataloguing and describing all artefacts, furnishings and fittings in a historic church is no quick job! Many churches are hundreds of years old and have gathered monuments, donations of books and all kinds of things, from candlesticks to old tablecloths throughout the centuries. Trying to pin point a creator, date of creation or even vague provenance for these things is hard work and often feels like a stab in the dark, due to lack of documentation and knowledge. The Churches Conservation Trust has over 350 churches across England and is looking to create an up-to-date and consistent inventory for all the Chattels (including furniture and fittings) across the entirety of…
