House of Commons ‘Portcullis' Chairs

The House of Commons oak Portcullis Chair is perhaps the most basic of the furniture items designed by AWN Pugin in the 1840s. Very similar but less elaborate than the ones designed for the House of Lords, there are currently over 2,500 of these chairs in the Palace of Westminster. Originally the seat of the chair would have been deeply buttoned.

Pugin stipulated that the nails on the chair must be visible. This linked with his strong belief in the “True Principles” of design and architecture that decorative elements must also be practical and have a use.

A number of companies have supplied more of this sort of chair in recent years as they are widely used.

This type of chair is in daily use in offices, restaurants and committee rooms.