Reclaimed Ship's Timber Stools

A pair of teak Stools made with reclaimed ship's timber.

The underside of each of these Stools has a partial label stating 'This stool was made from the wood of … Built 1851 in the HEIC Dockyard Bombay, Broken upon the Thames 1885, Ship Owned by John Willis'. Although the ship's name is faded on both stools, the only ship made in the Bombay Dockyard in 1851 and owned by John Willis & Son was the Zenobia. It also went out of service in 1885, which ties in, so we can be confident that the stools are made from teak taken from the Zenobia.

John 'Jock' Willis registered his ship company in London in 1826. He had 6 sons who all worked in the family business, building and owning clippers, of which the Cutty Sark is the most famous. Their ships traded tea and wool between China, Australia and Britain. Willis bought the Zenobia in 1867 and she gave 18 years of service until she was broken up in 1885.

The legs, cross stretchers and seat rim are all carved with a suitable nautical rope twist and, as with much of the furniture made from ship's timber, there is a small variance in size and shape. The labels noting their provenance are both hand written in ink on paper and pasted to the underside of the seats. There is a slight dip to the stool seats but they could also be used as low tables. Circa 1885.