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Alan Peters (Maker)

A low back chair of ash designed and made by Alan Peters (1933–2009) in 1977 for the chapel of the Swiss Catholic Mission in Westminster.
This is a four legged low back chair of ash designed and made by Alan Peters (1933–2009) in 1977 for the chapel of the Swiss Catholic Mission in Westminster. Peters was commissioned to make all the furniture for the chapel, comprising an altar table, reading stand, candle holder, statue support, life size cross and thirty-five chairs. This chair is a spare. The Museum also acquired the original accounts and correspondence relating to this commission. Peters and four workmen spent 1123 hours on the commission between July 1976 and February 1977. Alan Peters served his apprenticeship in furniture making with Edward Barnsley (1900–1987) in Froxfield, Hampshire, and in 1962 set up his own furniture workshop in Hindhead, Surrey.

1 chair: wood (ash)

Collecting 20thc Rural Culture blog [Thursday, 12 August 2010] – ‘Chapel Chair by Alan Peters, 1977 // Alan Peters (1933–2009) was commissioned to make the furniture and Peter Tysoe – the Devon-based glass sculptor – the coloured glass window for the small chapel in the new Swiss Catholic Mission in Westminster. The work in wood comprised an altar table, reading stand, candle holder, statue support, and life-size cross, together with 35 chairs, all made from English ash. Our chair is a spare that remained at Peters' workshop and which we were able to acquire from his widow, Laura. // The accompanying paperwork shows that a total of 1123 hours were spent on the project by Alan Peters and the four members of his team between July 1976 and completion in February 1977. Of these, 188 were put in by Peters himself, who charged for his time at £3 an hour. The full labour bill was £2,281 on a final invoice price of £2631.25. There is a letter in appreciation of the work from Father Paul Bossard, chaplain to the Mission. // Alan Peters, one of the foremost English furniture makers of the second half of the twentieth century, had a direct connection to the spirit of the Arts and Crafts Movement in that he served his apprenticeship with Edward Barnsley (1900-87) at Froxfield in Hampshire. After some time spent at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, in 1962 he set up his own furniture workshop at Hindhead in Surrey. Love of craftsmanship and of the countryside were parallel threads in his life, taking him through moves to Devon and then Somerset and through study tours of Japan and Korea. His influential book Cabinetmaking - the professional approach came out in 1985.’, Miscellaneous note – ‘A new chapel for the Swiss Catholic Mission, City of Westminster, London W.1. // The interior design and furnishing of the new chapel for the Swiss Catholic Mission is the work of three craftsmen, all Fellows of the Society of Designer-Craftsmen. Architects were involved with the basic structure of the building then the team of three craftsmen undertook to design the interior of the chapel in direct collaboration with their clients. // In accepting the challenge they proved several points. That craftsmen, whilst working individually, can work as a team over one project. That good design can be used to solve problems and take costs into account and that the whole scheme can be finished on schedule. // The Chapel was small and the budget very modest. The commission was a challenge to produce simple, functional work that had nevertheless the quality of craftsmanship that distinguish the work of the designer-craftsmen. // The coloured glass window was the work of Peter Tysoe. Called ‘Genesis’ this was made of 1” coloured glass slabs bonded with an epoxy resin and sand mix. // Ronald Parsons was responsible for the superb letter cutting, using a Vee cut Roman Italic cut crisply in ash. // All the interior furniture, including the 9ft. laminated cross, was designed and made by Alan Peters. The small, free standing chairs were designed to provide flexibility in use without dominating the small chapel. The timber was ash, chosen for its strength, its colour, and not least, its relatively inexpensive price. // The result is a pleasing, restful place, perhaps even arresting in its simplicity. It has a unity of design and a quality of craftsmandship [sic] which belies its modest budget, a figure, in fact, that was slightly lower than quoted by manufacturers of standard church furniture and fittings, proof, if necessary, that the work of designer-craftsmen need not always be expensive.’

Kentisbeare

1977 - 1977