Westminster Abbey gets ready
As Kate and William tread the historic flagstones of Westminster Abbey on Friday, keep an eye open for the spectacular new seating designed by Luke Hughes and Company. This beautiful walnut furniture was made to sit on the historic Cosmati mosaic right in front of the high altar and was used during the Pope’s visit in September. Quite how it will be used on Friday is, like much of the detail of the ‘big day’, well under wraps - but we can be sure the unique seating is ready to serve an important role in the proceedings!
The story of the furniture is an interesting one. In 2009, during the restoration of the Abbey’s historic ‘Cosmati Pavement’ immediately in front of the high altar, it became apparent that the existing furniture was damaging the priceless mosaic. So the challenge was to design new pieces which would not only complement the Abbey’s architecture but also sit lightly on, and deal with, the unevenness of the stones. Just the kind of technical challenge which grips the Luke Hughes design team!
Choosing walnut instead of oak and a simple streamlined design in keeping with the Abbey’s monastic traditions meant that the furniture is 60% lighter than the original seating. The feet are designed to sit on the delicate marble and are fitted with a series of felt lined sliding wedges kept in position by earth-magnets which can easily be adjusted to deal with variations in the floor level. The lightness of the furniture has also given the Abbey the flexibility to use the seating in varying configurations to suit the occasion.
Take a look at the linked video and, in among the robes and regalia you get a glimpse of how the furniture was used during the Pope’s visit …….. we will be watching closely to see how it is used on Friday.
Read more ……...
April 27, 2011 Abbey furniture on BBC news http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12819684
Abbey furniture used for Pope’s visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQgiwYy5W2A
Furniture for the Cosmati Pavement - commissioning and design http://www.lukehughes.co.uk/index.php/about/news_year/2009
Abbey furniture - Pope’s visit http://www.lukehughes.co.uk/index.php/about/news_year/2010
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/