Divine Papal Furniture - Members News - Blogs

Divine Papal Furniture

Posted by N E J Stevenson on 20th September 2010.

Designing and producing single pieces of furniture at Royal Palaces the world over, to extensively re-fitting the lavish interiors at some of Britain’s best known buildings; Houses of Parliament, Eltham Palace, Dover Castle or modern contemporary interiors such as the David Wilson Library at Leicester University is all in a days work for N.E.J. Stevenson Ltd. The Midlands based bespoke furniture maker is quite accustomed to receiving interesting calls to assist prestigious contracts and high-profile clients, so none too surprisingly this distinguished pedigree helped pave the way for the Rugby based firm to produce six specially commissioned items for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Britain.

Much has been made of the Pontiff’s public appearances but little has been discussed about his seclusion whilst here in the UK. However, following kind permission from the Papal Nuncio, in Wimbledon, we can provide a brief insight into the commission of the six dedicated pieces that will be used by the Pope for private ceremonies whilst his Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI resides with his envoy to Britain. Included is an Altar, Lectern, Tabernacle stand, two Server chairs and the Celebrants chair which contains the Pope’s coat of arms etched into the glass panel.

The project was led by Neil Stevenson, Managing Director of N.E.J Stevenson Ltd, but thanks must also go to the contributors of the materials.

Arnold Laver Timber World, were asked by the Timber Trade Federation to support Stevenson’s with supplies of timber. Prime European oak was specified, a timber that has natural appearance and possesses great durability making it ideal for quality joinery applications. The provenance of the timber was also of particular concern, ensuring that the wood was both legal and sustainable and therefore Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

Glasgow based Arnold Muirhead provided the leather for the seating in a vibrant hyacinth blue

NEJ Stevenson provides a design and manufacturing service for bespoke furniture and architectural woodwork products, resolving complex furniture and architectural joinery projects for the National Trust, English Heritage, Interior Designers, Architects and private clients.

Find out more about NEJ Stevenson in the Products Directory

Find out more on NEJ Stevenson in the Heritage Register

Keep up to date with the latest ProjectBook articles and blogs with our RSS feeds and subscribe to our newsletter.