Are deckchairs going the way of the dodo?
They are an emblem of summer, and as British as orderly queues and fish and chips. From the manicured emerald lawns of Wimbledon to the blustery beaches of Cornwall, everyone loves a deckchair.
Yet earlier this summer, Blackpool Council sold off its 6,000 deckchairs, most of which had been languishing in storage for years. And if this blueprint of the British seaside – which rented out 68,000 as recently as 2003 – is scrapping them, could they soon become extinct?
Folding chairs have been around for quite some time. They were often reserved for magistrates and noblemen during public occasions in ancient Rome, and have also been discovered in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians. There is even a record of ‘six folding chaires of crimson vellvet trymmed with gold lace’, which were sold by public order after the execution of King Charles I.
The first ‘deck chairs’ were precisely that: folding wooden seats, often with cane backs, that became popular on ocean liners during the mid-19th century. An Englishman named John Thomas Moore was one of the first manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon, taking out a patent in 1886 and offering two models: ‘the best ship or lawn tennis chair’ (the Waverley), and the Hygienic, which was sold to aid those facing the discomfort of, ahem, ‘constipated bowels’.
Exactly who came up with the idea of replacing the back with a strip of canvas is open to debate, but a Briton named Atkins is widely credited with the invention. Either way, during the early 20th century they spread across Britain, becoming the seaside feature so many of us know and love.
Since the 1960s, however, they have been in peril. The popularity of overseas package holidays and the arrival on the market of a flurry of other, far lighter, portable chairs, has pushed the deckchair ever closer to the dustbin of history.
But the story is far from over. For one last bastion of the good old British deckchair survives. Indeed, business is booming at Southsea Deckchairs, the last-remaining domestic British manufacturer. Stephen Davies runs the company, which is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
‘In the 1950s and 1960s there used to be 28,000 deckchairs on Southsea Beach,’ he explains. ‘By the early 1980s there were around 2,000. Now it seems they’re coming back as part of a trend for nostalgia items.’
Founding his company when the industry was in decline was certainly a brave move, but it was one born out of passion. Stephen started his career as a deckchair attendant in his home town of Portsmouth.
‘I was at college when my friend asked if I wanted to be a deckchair attendant to earn some money over the summer. I never knew I liked working outdoors until then, but it’s very romantic working on the seafront. The sun comes up and shapes the mood in the morning. By midday it’s very hot and your brains are frying, and people become quite stressed. But the mood changes again and by the evening it is very, very mellow.
‘Physical work on the seaside with fresh air also means that every night you sleep well. It’s good for the soul.’
Stephen jumped at the chance to take over the city’s deckchair concession when it came up for tender in 1987, and by 1991 was replenishing stock by manufacturing his own. ‘The council had these old machines used for making deckchairs, so I got those and just started like that,’ he explains.
Now Southsea Deckchairs has grown, supplying councils, stately homes, festivals and the Royal Parks across London. The secret to longevity, says Stephen, is ‘just sticking at it. It’s also realising that the only way to survive is to have a difference, and that difference is quality.’
The majority of Southsea Deckchairs are made with traditional timber frames. Aside from a safety latch that was added to make them viable for export, they are close to the original design that graced the decks of ocean liners. ‘Quality products mean repeat orders,’ says Stephen, ‘and that’s what we like.’
But Stephen is not surprised by the recent news from Blackpool. ‘When I was a boy, going to the seaside didn’t involve spending money,’ he reveals. ‘You had buckets and spades, and you made your fun with your imagination. Now people don’t want to stop on the beach or pier and have picnics. Everyone wants to go to the funfair, or play on the slot machines.’
It is this change in holiday behaviour that has made the deckchair something of a relic – but also highly covetable. In fact, they are so fashionable that Southsea Deckchairs this year collaborated with style house Fred Perry.
‘We put a design together with our block stripes, which they’ve used for one of their clothing ranges,’ Stephen says with a hint of pride. ‘The bags are made from deckchair fabric, so we supply them with that, too.’
The fact that the ‘simple, classic, old-fashioned beach deckchair is a British icon’ is serving the company well elsewhere, too. Now producing thousands per year, Southsea Deckchairs has a successful market in South Korea (‘it’s the quirky Britishness that they like’) with plans to expand further into Japan and the United States.
Stephen’s ultimate goal, however, is to see another very British icon using one of his chairs. ‘I would love to see the Queen sitting on a Southsea Deckchair. Perhaps in one of the gardens in Buckingham Palace. I’d like that very much.’
As for Stephen, his plans for retirement will see him returning to his roots. ‘I’d like to be a deckchair attendant again. That would be my ideal job.’
The deckchair, it seems, isn’t going the way of the dodo just yet.
Southsea Deckchairs: 023-9265 2865, www.deckchairs.co.uk
Yet earlier this summer, Blackpool Council sold off its 6,000 deckchairs, most of which had been languishing in storage for years. And if this blueprint of the British seaside – which rented out 68,000 as recently as 2003 – is scrapping them, could they soon become extinct?
Folding chairs have been around for quite some time. They were often reserved for magistrates and noblemen during public occasions in ancient Rome, and have also been discovered in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians. There is even a record of ‘six folding chaires of crimson vellvet trymmed with gold lace’, which were sold by public order after the execution of King Charles I.
The first ‘deck chairs’ were precisely that: folding wooden seats, often with cane backs, that became popular on ocean liners during the mid-19th century. An Englishman named John Thomas Moore was one of the first manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon, taking out a patent in 1886 and offering two models: ‘the best ship or lawn tennis chair’ (the Waverley), and the Hygienic, which was sold to aid those facing the discomfort of, ahem, ‘constipated bowels’.
Exactly who came up with the idea of replacing the back with a strip of canvas is open to debate, but a Briton named Atkins is widely credited with the invention. Either way, during the early 20th century they spread across Britain, becoming the seaside feature so many of us know and love.
Since the 1960s, however, they have been in peril. The popularity of overseas package holidays and the arrival on the market of a flurry of other, far lighter, portable chairs, has pushed the deckchair ever closer to the dustbin of history.
But the story is far from over. For one last bastion of the good old British deckchair survives. Indeed, business is booming at Southsea Deckchairs, the last-remaining domestic British manufacturer. Stephen Davies runs the company, which is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
‘In the 1950s and 1960s there used to be 28,000 deckchairs on Southsea Beach,’ he explains. ‘By the early 1980s there were around 2,000. Now it seems they’re coming back as part of a trend for nostalgia items.’
Founding his company when the industry was in decline was certainly a brave move, but it was one born out of passion. Stephen started his career as a deckchair attendant in his home town of Portsmouth.
‘I was at college when my friend asked if I wanted to be a deckchair attendant to earn some money over the summer. I never knew I liked working outdoors until then, but it’s very romantic working on the seafront. The sun comes up and shapes the mood in the morning. By midday it’s very hot and your brains are frying, and people become quite stressed. But the mood changes again and by the evening it is very, very mellow.
‘Physical work on the seaside with fresh air also means that every night you sleep well. It’s good for the soul.’
Stephen jumped at the chance to take over the city’s deckchair concession when it came up for tender in 1987, and by 1991 was replenishing stock by manufacturing his own. ‘The council had these old machines used for making deckchairs, so I got those and just started like that,’ he explains.
Now Southsea Deckchairs has grown, supplying councils, stately homes, festivals and the Royal Parks across London. The secret to longevity, says Stephen, is ‘just sticking at it. It’s also realising that the only way to survive is to have a difference, and that difference is quality.’
The majority of Southsea Deckchairs are made with traditional timber frames. Aside from a safety latch that was added to make them viable for export, they are close to the original design that graced the decks of ocean liners. ‘Quality products mean repeat orders,’ says Stephen, ‘and that’s what we like.’
But Stephen is not surprised by the recent news from Blackpool. ‘When I was a boy, going to the seaside didn’t involve spending money,’ he reveals. ‘You had buckets and spades, and you made your fun with your imagination. Now people don’t want to stop on the beach or pier and have picnics. Everyone wants to go to the funfair, or play on the slot machines.’
It is this change in holiday behaviour that has made the deckchair something of a relic – but also highly covetable. In fact, they are so fashionable that Southsea Deckchairs this year collaborated with style house Fred Perry.
‘We put a design together with our block stripes, which they’ve used for one of their clothing ranges,’ Stephen says with a hint of pride. ‘The bags are made from deckchair fabric, so we supply them with that, too.’
The fact that the ‘simple, classic, old-fashioned beach deckchair is a British icon’ is serving the company well elsewhere, too. Now producing thousands per year, Southsea Deckchairs has a successful market in South Korea (‘it’s the quirky Britishness that they like’) with plans to expand further into Japan and the United States.
Stephen’s ultimate goal, however, is to see another very British icon using one of his chairs. ‘I would love to see the Queen sitting on a Southsea Deckchair. Perhaps in one of the gardens in Buckingham Palace. I’d like that very much.’
As for Stephen, his plans for retirement will see him returning to his roots. ‘I’d like to be a deckchair attendant again. That would be my ideal job.’
The deckchair, it seems, isn’t going the way of the dodo just yet.
Southsea Deckchairs: 023-9265 2865, www.deckchairs.co.uk