The Famous Windsor Rocking Chairs

Rocking chairs, in general, are considered to be several centuries old such that they have virtually become antique home furnitures. These chairs come in many different types and are generally produced by different wood manufacturers, including pioneering ones like Windsor.

Windsor, the company that introduced the famous Windsor chairs, actually started out as a manufacturer of chairs that have become distinctive for having wooden seats and arm rests and backrests that are generally formed out of steam bent wood pieces. Nevertheless, it is in the rocking chair department that Windsor has literally carved out a name, creating age-old rocking chairs the designs of which are still being held today as the hallmark of a truly genuine antique home furniture.

Named after Windsor, a 17th century town in Berkshire, England, Windsor chairs first came to the US in 1726 when these were brought to the mainland by then Pennsylvania governor Patrick Gordon. As the chairs came into the hands of various American wood workers, a separate and unique style was eventually developed.

As for the rocking chair varieties, these appear to have made their first appearance in the southern counties of England where they were commonly used as garden furnitures. Eventually, these also came to US land and to several American colonies.

In 1750, Windsor rocking chairs evolved into a completely American-inspired furniture that came in many different forms. These included the so-called comb back Windsor rocking chairs, the birdcage, the bow spindle, and the bow back, among others. Of these, the comb back version was a favorite because of its headrest feature that looks very much like an ancient high comb.

Bow back Windsor rocking chairs also happen to be remarkable largely because these were among the earliest designs. More than that, however, the design of a typical bow back chair is quite unique as its back frame is bent into the figure of a hoop, consequently resembling the shape of the bow of an arrow. Hence the name bow back.

Since Windsor style rocking chairs carry a long and illustrious history behind them, there is hardly any doubt that they should be considered antique furnitures. Typically, antique Windsor rocking chairs sport a wide and rounded back interspersed with an elegant set of round spindles found all across. The seat usually tends to be rather wide, and can conveniently carry an adult along with a small child.

As for the materials used, Windsor rockers traditionally carry at least three varied wood species, namely, pine, maple, and oak. Pine is usually reserved for the seats while maple and oak woods are often used for the arm and the back areas as these are known to bend nicely when placed in steamed heat.

Interestingly, even as modern technology allows many wood makers to create home furnitures like rocking chairs in quick and easy fashion, Windsor type rocking chairs are still generally manufactured the old-fashioned way. This is particularly true in England, the acknowledged birthplace of Windsor rocking chairs, where they are still crafted by hand, initially by boring holes into the various chair parts before wedging is eventually applied.