Survivor Of 1940 German Air Raid Restored Victorian Chesterfield Captains Chair
Pullborough, United Kingdom
£8,955 per item
Shopping at Vinterior
-
14-day return guarantee
-
Outstanding customer service
-
Secure payment
-
Buyer protection
-
Trees planted for every purchase
Item details
Height
81.5 cm
Width
62.0 cm
Depth
72.5 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning, fully restored Victorian Claw & Ball feet, Chesterfield tufted office chair with a unique inscription inside the frame relating to a 30th December 1940 WW2 Air Raid Bombing
This chair is the definition of Serendipity! It was sold to me for quite a princely sum as being a leather office chair, I then sent it to my leather polisher for restoration and it turned out it was faux leather, we can't restore or work with faux leather so it was sent to my upholsterer in Brighton to restore it correctly, after removing said faux upholstery, Jonathan made the wonderful discovery of the inscription around the base rails, it reads as follows from the left side to the back and then the right
IF THIS CHAIR COULD SPEAK - IT WOULD TELL YOU A TERRIBLE
STORY OF THE GREAT GERMAN AIR RAID ON
LONDON DECEMBER 30TH 1940 THIS CHAIR PARTLY BURNT WAS
ALL THAT WAS LEFT FROM A LARGE FIRM TOTALLY DESTROYED
This air raid was known as the second great fire of London, here is an extract I found online relating to it
The Second Great Fire of London in December 1940 was caused by one of the most destructive air raids of the Blitz during World War II. The Luftwaffe raid caused fires over an area greater than that of the Great Fire of London in 1666,leading one American correspondent to say in a cable to his office that "The second Great Fire of London has begun". Fires started by the raid included an incendiary bomb that broke through the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, which was being guarded by a fire watch team at the behest of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
On the night of 29–30 December 1940, approximately 100,000 (mostly small incendiary) bombs fell on the city. The Germans dispatched 136 bombers to the city. Fewer incendiaries were dropped than in the raids of 15 November or 8 December. The raid was focused on a part of the city that contained many non-residential buildings, such as churches, offices, and warehouses. Many of these were locked and were not covered by the Fire Watchers Order of September 1940, which applied to places of work with at least 30 employees, warehouses with an area of 50,000 cubic feet (1,400 m3) and sawmills or timber yards with more than 50,000 cubic feet of timber.
Incendiary bombs were the main armament that night. Moderately small, at 12 by 3 inches (30 cm × 8 cm)—each bomber was equipped with approximately 180 of them—the bombs carried magnesium and started fires. The raid saw 1,500 fires begin in the city.
Firefighters' efforts were hampered by a water shortage. The primary water-main in the City was bomb-fractured. Units trying to get water from other hydrants caused the water pressure to drop. Efforts to draw water from the River Thames were hampered by the low tide. The fire brigade's difficulties were further exacerbated by wind, combined with the concentrated area of the attack.
Twelve of the 160 people killed in the raid were firefighters, while 250 were injured.
Artist Leonard Rosoman was serving with the Auxiliary Fire Service on the night of the raid. While fighting a fire in Shoe Lane, Rosoman was relieved of his hose. Moments later a wall collapsed, burying the two firefighters working where Rosoman had just been. The moment haunted Rosoman for the rest of his life. He immortalised the scene in his painting A House Collapsing on Two Firemen, Shoe Lane, London, EC4. William Sansom, a friend of Rosoman's who would go on to become a novelist and travel writer, survived the incident. The fireman who relieved Rosoman of his hose was killed.
Sam Chauveau of the London Fire Brigade described the scene that faced the fire fighters:
By the time we finished tackling the fires on the roof of the [Stock] Exchange, the sky, which was ebony black when we first got up there, was now changing to a yellowy orange colour. It looked like there was an enormous circle of fire, including St Paul's churchyard.
And there you have it, quite a torrid night to survive, this chair is an important survivor, I'm sure it will end up in a museum or some other important collection, it is very rare to find genuine WW2 pieces that have seen so much!
Condition wise, as mentioned this chair has been restored from the ground up, the leather upholstery is all new English cattle hide, it has been upholstered plain, hand dyed six times, antiqued, sealed waxed down and polish, the base frame has claw & ball feet which have been hand lightly waxed and polished
Dimensions:
Height:- 81.5cm
Width:- 62cm
Depth:- 72.5cm
Seat height:- 48cm
Height:- 81.5cm
Width:- 62cm
Depth:- 72.5cm
Seat height:- 48cm
Condition report:
Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed
Royal House Antiques cannot be held liable for any independent assumptions made regarding the items we sell, if you are unsure on any point, please feel free to ask for clarity
Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade
Additional dimensions information:
Seat height:- 48cm
Cancellations
We offer free cancellations and full refund for orders cancelled before dispatching. View full policy.
Returns
We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.
We can arrange delivery nationwide. Please use the 'Request A Delivery Quote' button to confirm the delivery fee before placing your order.
Whoever delivers will usually require some help on the larger items to unload, if this is not possible please let us know as it will affect the price to send a two man team
Delivery is to the ground floor only, again if you need help upstairs or in flats etc that's absolutely not a problem, the couriers charge £10 per flight per man per item, if you have a working elevator then naturally there’s no additional fee
I’m happy to hold any purchased items for up to 2 weeks. After that, there is a storage fee of £10 a week.
Estimated delivery time
One to two weeks
Free collection available
Yes
Similar Hall Chairs
Similar Hall Chairs
You may also like
You may also like
More from this seller
More from this seller
Choose a Wishlist
Create Wishlist
- Selling at Vinterior since 2017
- 850 sales
- Ships from Pullborough, United Kingdom
Seller Reviews
Verified Purchase
Verified Purchase
Verified Purchase
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 24th March 2025
We want everybody’s Vinterior experience to be seamless, so both buyers and sellers can fall in love with pre-loved. We designed our Terms of sale to treat everybody fairly.
However, sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan, and you may need to cancel or return an order.
To prevent this, we encourage you to check listings, photos and descriptions carefully before you buy. If you aren’t sure about a piece’s condition, size, provenance or shipping, just ask; click Contact seller to get in touch. Always contact your seller first if you have any queries, at any point in your purchase.
Our buyers receive the same protection when buying from all our sellers, both professional and verified.
Can I cancel an order?
There are many reasons why you might need to cancel an order, and you'll often be entitled to a refund. To cancel an order, click Create cancellation on the order page.
If you cancel your order before it has been dispatched, you will receive a full refund - including delivery costs. However, if your item has been shipped, delivery costs will not be included in your refund.
Please note: orders of bespoke, personalised or made-to-order pieces cannot be cancelled.
Can I return an order?
We understand that sometimes a piece isn’t the perfect fit. So if you no longer want your order, our returns process will ensure it finds a new home fast.
The Vinterior Guarantee included with your purchase entitles you to 14-day returns - allowing you to return any item within 14 days of the delivery date (except in specific circumstances, detailed below).
You can return your order if...
It isn't what you expected
If what arrives isn’t what you ordered, you can open a return. Just send us some photo evidence that the listing was inaccurate, misleading or misrepresented your purchased piece, and you’ll receive a refund.
You change your mind
If you don’t feel a piece is right for your space, you can return it. Once you request a change of mind return, you’ll be responsible for shipping the piece back to your seller as soon as possible. Delivery costs are non-refundable.
It's damaged in transit
In the rare event that an item arrives damaged or defective, you have a full 30 days from the date of delivery to return it for a full refund.
If your purchase arrives broken, always let us know. If Proovia delivered the piece, we can raise an insurance claim on the seller’s behalf. Or, the seller can raise a claim with their chosen courier.
What can't I return?
Just as there are some orders you can’t cancel, there are some you cant return, too. Personalised, bespoke or made-to-order pieces are non-returnable, and non-refundable. Sellers may also reject your return if the item has been altered in any way.
Please note: pieces on our site are pre-loved, not new. They may show some wear and tear; this is not sufficient grounds for a refund, unless the seller has misrepresented the item’s condition.
Lastly, neither Vinterior nor our sellers are liable for any damages or loss sustained in transit via third parties.
I'm eligible for a return. Now what?
To initiate a return, log into your Vinterior account, then go to the relevant order page and click Create a return. In the return request, be sure to include all the details: the reason for your return, an in-depth description, and photos of any issues or damage.
How will I receive my refund?
Once the seller confirms they’ve received the item (in the same condition it was sent), we will send your refund to your original payment method.
All items are inspected on return. If the seller receives the return with damage they don’t recognise, we will not be able to process your refund and the seller may need to send the piece back to you. You will be required to cover these delivery costs.
