Whilst in London, Patrick Home lived in St Martin’s Lane – the same street as the Chippendale workshops and showroom. Patrick commissioned Haig & Chippendale to furnish both Wedderburn from c.1779, and his new London home in Lower Gower Street, near the British Museum from 1786. Several Chippendale pieces from the Gower Street residence came to Paxton after Patrick’s death (a sofa, these chairs, (originally a set of eight, four of which are in the Paxton Trust’s collection), two mirrors, two pier tables, and decorative carving). These are displayed in the Drawing Room and Ante Room. The chairs were described by Chippendale in his invoice as: ‘8 Square back Mahogany Armd Chairs neatly carv’d & Varnished – Stuffed & quilted in fine linen the backs and seats bordered  £25. 4. 0’. ‘Neat Blue & Buff printed Cotton Cases to Do.  £5. 12. 0’ were also supplied to cover the chairs when not in use.

The mahogany used in the chairs was cut down by enslaved people in the Caribbean. These chairs were made when Patrick was MP for Berwickshire. Through his political connections, Patrick had, in 1769, supported his future brother-in-law, John Graham, to become Governor of Tobago, and later was to help his nephew, Ninian Home, to become Lieutenant-Governor of Grenada.

Two chairs out of the set were conserved in December 2022 to repair the legs which were very loose, and which potentially could have collapsed causing much greater damage.  The beech supports had suffered from woodworm which had been treated, but further consolidation was required. To repair the legs the much later upholstery had to be removed and the collapsed webbing was reconstructed. In the future we aim to raise funds to re-upholster the chairs and sofa to the original design.