Castle object of the month: Conversation Chair

Caqueteuse Armchair or Conversation Chair - Hever Castle
July 27 2021 | Castle History

Caqueteuse Armchair or Conversation Chair - Hever Castle

Located in the Entrance Hall, the Castle Object of the Month for August is this stunning Caqueteuse Armchair or Conversation Chair.

The Conversation Chair, which was made c1500, is crafted from Walnut and has a lovely rich brown colouring. It was bought by former owners the Astors in the 20th Century to furnish their beautiful home. 

The furnishing is one of three such chairs in the Castle. French in design the original name for these pieces came from the French ‘caqueter’, which means to chat. These chairs were designed especially for women, who had larger items of clothing. The broad trapezoidal seat and curved arm rests allowed them to sit in comfort in the wide dresses that were fashionable throughout the era.

Caqueteuse Armchair or Conversation Chair - Hever Castle

More about the Entrance Hall:

The Entrance Hall was added to the fifteenth century manor house in c.1506 by Thomas Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s father. Original timbers can be seen in the earlier doorway, directly opposite the current entrance.

Interesting furniture housed here includes an oak bench table (c. 1610) which would have been used by monks in their tiny cells, as well as the magnificent choir stall (c. 1480) which is Italian and made from walnut. 

The long refectory table (c. 1565) is Italian, and the two large vases standing on it are Japanese Imari porcelain from about 1780. The collection of dishes and plates date from 1650 to 1800.

The large leather and iron jackboots towards the end of the hall are postilion’s boots and date from about 1690. Find out more about the postilion’s boots.

You can visit the Entrance Hall on your tour of Hever Castle.

Plus, find out more interesting information in the Castle news archive section.