The before. What does it end up like?

In an earlier post I recounted a tale that on a visit to the south coast I came across a “Chair Doctors” a term I hadn’t seen or heard of for ages. Its not quite as good as  a “sagger makers bottom Knocker”, which was a real job in the china clay industry in about 1700, but I like it and its a position I can aspire to.

I have looked and there doesn’t seem to be a formal training scheme, so  how does one become a Chair Doctor? Do you start of as a student Doctor, and hope one day to make it too Junior doctor, and eventually the lofty heights of consultant. Maybe its time to start the London School of Chair Doctors, I  shall appoint myself principal, finally I shall be an academic- My mother would have been so proud, “at last he gets a proper job”.

In my real job as a wheelwright there is with the assistance of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights the re emergence of a formal training scheme. Something sadly absent for many years. But formal training has to be augmented with practical experience and I was told when I set out to make carriage wheels you cant consider yourself a wheelwright until you have made 50 wheels, until then your just practicing. It took me a while to get to that number. If we apply that logic to being a Chair Doctor it should be  easier as there are a lot more chairs about than carriages. But conversely you are more likely to have a wheel repaired than a chair, you can pop out a replace a chair, a carriage is slightly harder.

However applying the wheelwrights logic I must therefore have gained my Doctorate. I have made / repaired/ refurbished over 50 chairs. I am no longer an apprentice its time to move up to becoming a master chair doctor.

I therefore present for your consideration my masterpiece, the Victorian balloon back rocking chair above. This has been stripped, polished and caned, a sentence I didn’t think I would ever write.

If you agree I am worthy then I look forward now to henceforth being addressed as Doctor Green, and should I ever get invited to parties, drunken revellers will now tell me their medical problems in complete confidence (that I have no idea what they are going on about. My medical knowledge like my father before me consists of – Lemsip max strength cures everything).

best wishes

Dr Green