SCOTLAND’S INFLUENCE ON THE HERITAGE OF VERNACULAR FURNITURE IN NEW ZEALAND

With such strong Scottish origins it would seem incredible that there were no influences on the design and construction of New Zealand furniture. My research was to assess the nature, the depth, the continuance and the significance of this influence. My findings, as one might expect, showed this inference to be at its greatest in areas where there had been distinctly Scottish immigration: as in Dunedin and Waipu. However there were certain items that have permeated to a much wider area and in two cases clearly become part of the furniture needs of today.

The magnificent chair in the Northern tradition, though clearly significant and a bonus to any collection, is much more an indicator of its worth to the settler family than of its Scottish heritage. I have therefore, in general, excluded from my study furniture that came out with the ships and concentrated on that which was knowingly made in New Zealand. This furniture divides again into two general classifications; that which is clearly in the vernacular tradition but not specifically Scottish and that which shows Scottish influence.

The former would include chairs like the “eclectic chair”. Whilst made by a Scot and in the community of Dunedin and a prime example of the vernacular tradition it could reasonably have been made anywhere where the materials where available and shows no specific Scottishness. It could be argued that it is in the Northern Tradition of rugged chairmaking but this is more likely to be the case for the “Matheson chair” and I feel both suggestions are a little tenuous.

The chairs of Robert Sutherland, however, have strong Scottish regional roots. One having clear similarities with the chairs of Caithness and particularly of the parish of Latheron, as well as a construction highly characteristic of that part of the Highlands. There are two classic examples of West Coast stick back or “Celtic” chairs. So in these three chairs we have excellent examples of Scottish influence and specifically that of early regional vernacular styles from the Highlands. The use of these traditions seems to be quite specific and I found no evidence that they were continued or sustained in any way.

This is what one would expect, such chairs in Scotland were gradually replaced by more “manufactured” and fashionable designs.