Work is underway to restore the ancient Coronation Chair that King Charles III will use in May, and visitors to Westminster Abbey will have a chance to see the restoration work in person.
The Coronation Chair was made over 700 years ago and used by King Edward I, who reigned from 1239 to 1307. Its purpose was to store a special stone from Scotland, the Stone of Scone, which his armies took in battle.
Though the Coronation Chair will be used by King Charles, the Stone of Scone will not—it was returned to Scotland in 1996. The Chair in its original form was noted for its gold and coloured glass decoration and the floral and animal patterns that adorned it.
Westminster Abbey shared the news on its official website, noting that the conservation work will include surface cleaning with sponges and cotton swabs and stabilising the layers of gilding. Work will take place in public view on select days, according to the Abbey, which will be visible in St. George’s Chapel in the Nave.
A conservation expert who works with the Abbey on painting restorations has already spent months working on the Coronation Chair. Krista Blessley told reporters that it is “extremely fragile” and that there is still a lot of work to do that will have to be done carefully due to the age of the wood.
Blessley added that “if there are little changes in humidity, the wood moves” and said temperature changes could cause a reaction to the wood, as could any water in the air.
The Abbey theorises that Edward I ordered the Chair made around 1300; the Stone of Scone came into English possession in 1296. It is made of oak and features graffiti from when the Chair was on public display and in the open in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The last time the Coronation Chair was used was for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
