This Victorian 3-seater Chesterfield sofa, covered in Bonfield’s ‘Ode to the Ash’ hand-printed linen, is as solid as they come. Dating from around 1880, the piece stands on turned, walnut legs (front and back) with original brass castors. It has been lovingly reupholstered in the traditional way using French horsehair, natural felt, hessian, calico and metal tacks. The sofa’s seat is firmly sprung, as are its attractive scroll arms. Its show wood is a lovely honey colour, contrasting beautifully with the Blue grey of the printed linen. Such a robust yet comfortable sofa, covered in this highly individual design, will hopefully give its new owner many years of pleasure.

‘Ode to the Ash’ celebrates one of our most cherished native trees. Standing at a crossroads in a bucolic landscape, the tree is surrounded by colourful folk from days gone by - all of them related to the ash in some way. Among them is a herdsman who carries an ash stick to keep the Evil Eye away from his prize heifer, a country girl who, hoping to meet her true love, keeps an 'even ash' leaf in her glove, a ‘gentleman of the road’ holding an ash staff and a woodsman who kneels reverently beneath the tree’s outspread boughs (ash timber was prized by woodsmen for its strength and flexibility). Accompanying them is, as Shakespeare once wrote, a ‘paragon of animals’ - a fox, a sparrow hawk, dogs, a crow, a shrew, a cow, an owl, a swan, a horse, an adder, a guinea fowl, a badger and a butterfly. ‘Ode to the Ash’ is a wonderful mix of both English folklore and social history - with a dash of magic.