Lot Essay
The current oak bench was the prototype for the Stumpery Benches at Highgrove, Gloucestershire, commissioned by HRH The Prince of Wales from I & J Bannerman, Ltd. The Bannermans have worked for the Prince of Wales since 1993 and the Stumpery at Highgrove with its carefully chosen inscriptions, ammonite paths and carved benches which recall early Georgian hall furniture, is regarded as one of the most important gardens of its kind. The rusticated oak benches were designed to complement the sweet chesnut roots, hostas, hellebores and ferns of the Stumpery.