ELM  (Ulmus Procera.)

Elm is always used to make the seat of a Windsor chair; usually it’s a Field Elm with its irregular growth and varied grain pattern, dark to golden brown in colour.

Wych Elm is straighter with a wider grain pattern, golden brown colour with tinges in green/ yellow shades.

Elm is a very tough and extremely durable timber, allowing multiple mortis holes to be drilled into the seat, traditionally the very best timber to use in Windsor chair seats. Polishing to a low lustre brings out the true beauty of this wood.

Dutch Elm Disease hit England during the early 1960’s, believed to have come from Canada. All trees were felled and destroyed in Warwickshire, although there is a ‘field’ Elm tree near Wellesborne, Warwickshire still alive and well today (2009), there are some in Brighton which when felled, the Council have to remove from the County immediately, as the beetle is still in the roots, there are also a few remaining in surrounding fields in Cambridgeshire, being treated, none of these will be felled unless they are a danger to anyone.

‘Clouds in the sky’ was a name given to all Elm trees pre the 1960’s because of their height and their bough and leaf shape, they looked like a group of clouds in the sky

Butts of Elm at Lytham St Annes

Two Buts loaded on trailer.

Elm milled into 2 inch slabs

Butts waiting at saw mill

Stacked Elm “air drying” naturally.