A personalised school storytelling chair is one of the most treasured things a school can own — a hand-carved throne bearing your crest, your name, and your identity, built to become the heart of your reading space for generations.
Schools right across the country have chosen this design and asked us to make it their own. The conversation is always the same: a PTA secures a grant, a leaving class votes on the design, or a school wants to mark a teacher's retirement properly — and a few weeks later a chair arrives with that school's crest carved into the back and the full school name engraved beneath it. Every chair carries a different badge, but the reaction never changes: the children gather around it immediately.
The solid hand-built joinery is made to withstand decades of outdoor use — in the reading garden, the forest classroom, or the library corner.
Key Features
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School crest or logo carved into the backrest — faithfully reproduced in relief carving from your artwork or badge file
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Full school name engraved beneath the crest — or any dedication, quote, or inscription you choose
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Themed carvings throughout — animals, symbols, fairytale elements, patron saints, local wildlife: whatever holds meaning for your school community
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Choice of Oak or Douglas Fir — naturally durable hardwoods suited to permanent outdoor installation
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Choose your finish — supplied unvarnished as standard, or add three coats of Epifanes yacht varnish for lasting colour and sheen (+£50)
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Solid hand-built joinery — crafted in Mid Wales to last a generation of daily use
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Ground spike available — for schools installing the chair outdoors permanently in a lawn or bark area
Your Version
Your chair starts with your brief. Share your school logo, your motto, the names you want inscribed, and any carving ideas — animals, local landmarks, the things that make your school yours. We'll sketch a design for your approval before we cut a single line.
These chairs are regularly commissioned by PTAs using grant funding, by leaving Year 6 classes as a legacy gift, and by schools marking a teacher's retirement or a founding anniversary. If you have a budget and a deadline, tell us — we'll work with both.
Typical lead time is 4–5 weeks. Prices include VAT. Schools can order by purchase order and pay on invoice — no upfront payment required. If your school needs to register us as a supplier first, we can provide our VAT number, bank details, and address on request.
Browse examples in the storytelling chairs collection or contact us to begin your design.
Finish
This piece is supplied unvarnished as standard. Left natural, solid oak slowly weathers to a soft, silvery-grey — completely normal for outdoor timber, a graceful way for a piece to age, and with no maintenance needed. If you’d prefer to bring out the grain and warm, honeyed tones, choose the varnished option (+£50) and we’ll hand-apply three coats of Epifanes, a premium marine yacht varnish.
More about the two finishes
Outdoor furniture takes a real beating from sun and weather. Left natural, an unvarnished piece simply silvers over time and asks nothing of you. A varnished piece keeps its rich sheen for a couple of years; after that the varnish may begin to flake or patch, at which point you can simply re-coat it, or let it weather back to that natural silvery-grey. Either way, your oak is fine.
