The Chesterfield: A Story That Begins in 1773, And Lives On at Winchester
- Leanne Lythgoe
- Jan 26
- 3 min read
The Chesterfield: A Story That Begins in 1773, And Lives On at Winchester
Some stories are crafted.
Others are inherited.
But a rare few are passed down through time, carried not by words alone, but by the hands of those who continue them.
The Chesterfield is one such story.
And at Winchester, we honour it with every piece we build.
A Chair Worth Passing On
In the spring of 1773, as Lord Philip Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, approached the end of his life, he issued a simple instruction to his butler:
Whether he meant offer him a seat or gift him the chair has been debated for centuries.
But the butler, loyal to the last, interpreted the command literally.
And so Mr Solomon Dayrolles left Chesterfield House carrying a distinctive leather armchair, deep‑buttoned, equal‑height arms and back, rolled with quiet authority. A silhouette unlike anything else of its time.
That chair became the ancestor of the modern Chesterfield.
A design born not in a workshop, but in an aristocratic moment.
Not from a manufacturer, but from a gesture.
Not in 1780, or 1800, or any later date, but in 1773.
This is where the story truly begins.
Why 1773 Matters
For centuries, the Chesterfield has been claimed, copied, reinterpreted, and commercialised.
But its origin is not a mystery.
It is documented in letters, archives, and historical accounts.
1773 is the year the Chesterfield entered British history.
Not as a product.
Not as a brand.
But as a legacy.
A legacy that Winchester now carries forward.
Winchester: Custodians of the Original Lineage
At Winchester, we do not claim to be the inventors of the Chesterfield, no modern maker can.
But we proudly stand as custodians of the original lineage, honouring the story that began with Lord Chesterfield’s final gift.
Our work is not about replication.
It is about continuation.
Every Winchester Chesterfield is built with:
• individually hand‑dyed leather
• deep, true buttoning
• scroll arms pleated by skilled craftsmen and women
• hardwood frames, glued, screwed, and dowelled
• upholstery techniques unchanged for over a century
These are not shortcuts.
They are traditions, the same traditions that shaped the very first Chesterfield in 1773.
A Legacy That Lives in Every Piece
When a Winchester Chesterfield enters a home, it brings more than comfort.
It brings a story.
A story of:
• aristocratic origins
• British craftsmanship
• timeless design
• a chair worth passing on
And now, with the date 1773 woven into our identity, that story becomes clearer, richer, and more authentic than ever.
Why Winchester Stands Apart
Many makers build Chesterfields.
But only a few honour the lineage.
And fewer still understand its true beginning.
Winchester stands apart because we recognise that the Chesterfield is not just a sofa, it is a piece of British cultural history.
A history that began in 1773.
A history we continue with pride.
A history we craft into every button, every pleat, every frame.
At Winchester, we honour this lineage with every Chesterfield we build.
Not as replicas of the past, but as continuations of a story that began in 1773 with a single, gifted chair, a legacy that still shapes British homes today.
And as long as we continue to build with the same care, the same craft, and the same reverence for tradition, the story will never end.
