Orkney chairs date back to approximately the 1700s, but working with straw on the islands dates back to the Bronze Age.

Originally created using driftwood collected from Orkney’s shoreline, in later periods they were also made from hardwoods such as oak, walnut and ash - this particular example is crafted in walnut, with the traditional back woven from Orkney oat straw that grows in the islands near constant summer sunlight.

The prevalance of these chairs on the island diminished as mass produced furniture became available, but they were revived with the popularity of William Morris’s Arts & Crafts movement and tourism to the island fuelled by city dwellers’ desires for fresh air and the idyllic country life.