A storytelling chair and public artwork created for Meirion's Trail — the sculpture trail winding through the town of Harlech on the coast of North Wales.
Carved from solid oak and weathered with paint to evoke the feel of a ship driven aground on the Welsh shore, the piece takes the form of a great hull split open — a curved arch of ship's ribs rising from the wreck. At its apex sits a carved figurehead, a lone figure perched above the wreckage, gazing out across Cardigan Bay.
The seat is built into the arch itself: two people can sit inside the hull, sheltered by the ribs, while the figurehead watches over from above.
This piece is now permanently installed in Harlech as part of the Meirion's Trail commission. To commission a similar storytelling chair for your school, public space, or garden, get in touch with us here.
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.
