rockingham chippendale sofa: hand dyed walnut leather

British Prime Minister 1765-1766 & 1782

Aristocracy at its finest, the elegant 18th century inspired Rockingham is a graceful throwback the Chesterfield origins.

Charles Watson-Wentworth, the 2nd Marquee of Rockingham. He served in only two high offices during his lifetime (Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Lords), but was nonetheless very influential during his one and a half years of service. One of Watson-Wentworth’s biggest influences actually came in his second stint at the helm when he oversaw the abolishment of The Relief of the Poor Act 1782. This saw the creation of Unions and Civil Parishes, later officially called ‘unions under Gilbert’s Act’, to provide outdoor relief and set up workhouses.

We like to think that our camel back Rockingham sofa metaphorically encaptures the ups and downs of his leadership. However, of course, it has to be said that there’s an awful lot of inspiration drawn from the hugely talented Thomes Chippendale in this piece too. This hand dyed walnut piece is quite a showman. It’s got bags of character thanks to the natural scarring in the Italian russet leather that we use – true to 18th Century crafting. The patinated finish that comes with hand dying offers a divine pallete of colour that simply cannot be replicated in a pre-dyed hide…

This full coil sprung, four seater Chippendale offer plenty of seating space for you to spread your legs across and snuggle into its arms. It’s aesthetically pleasing too, gorgeous on the eye yet simple in its shape. The curvy swan necked arms on this piece have been left tacked – no studding – which offers a wonderful simplicity to the piece… we could easily stud this up though if you prefer the more glamourous side of things…

Finished on a set of Queen Anne legs, this Rockingham is the complete lady… the perfect companion!