Bench Restoration in the Debating Chamber

High Wycombe has long been the principle centre of the English furniture trade. It is no surprise therefore that the Oxford Union selected Browns of West Wycombe for the restoration of the benches in the Debating Chamber, which were in urgent need of care. The first phase of this project in now complete and all the front benches have now been restored to their original condition. 

The restoration is an ongoing project; the second phase will begin in the summer of 2025, and will focus on the long benches at the very back of the Chamber. This phase needs to be completed out of term. The benches are too long to carry to the West Wycombe workshop, so the work will need to be completed inhouse. The only alternative is to cut the benches in half in order that they can be transported out of the building! 

Browns of West Wycombe have been manufacturing the finest handmade, hand-finished furniture since 1850. The workshop's current management by Denis Hine and Philip East has been in situ since 1977. 

The Development office visited their workshop in August, at the height of works, and witnessed the very high level of craftmanship and dedication. On the subject of the Union benches, Denis said:

"Most of the benches date from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, some of them have stability issues and have been badly worn out. The 2” thick oak side frames of the benches have come apart along the glue line. No suprise, scotch glue has a life of 100 years max". 

Previous repairs had been carried out by screwing and glueing with PVA wooden plates over the open joints, but unfortunately the grain of timber used for the plates was running in the wrong direction. "We had to remove all the glued and screwed wooden plates, glue and close the gaps along the joint line, replace all the missing and damaged areas of oak on the side frames". The oak wood was cleaned, revived, and polished with a wax finish. The expert duo repaired and reglued the pine seats and back frames where necessary. 

And how much life do the benches have left in them after the renovation? "I reckon, at least 100 more years".