A large sculpture of a woodworker’s stand was unveiled in High Wycombe at the weekend in a bid to celebrate the town’s furniture history.

Following the Beating of the Bounds ceremony on Sunday, mayor Khalil Ahmed officially unveiled the four-metre high and three-metre wide sculpture of a bodger’s chair, outside Bucks New University.

Traditionally, a bodger was a woodworker who used green timber and bought their beech wood at auction from estate owners in the Chiltern Hills surrounding High Wycombe.

Designed by BA (Hons) Fine Art student Deborah Mills, it is hoped the beech wood sculpture will eventually be place in Pauls Row, High Wycombe.

As well as highlighting the important trade, it will also support Cllr Ahmed’s chosen charities for the year, The Cardiomyopathy Association and Diabetes UK.

Cllr Ahmed said: “I am proud and humbled to be part of a project so prestigious that celebrates the history of the town and will act as a tribute to all those local chair makers who put High Wycombe firmly on the map, making it the largest and most successful furniture producer in the country.

“It has been a long and challenging project for all those involved but the end result is truly a credit to the University, its staff and its students.

“Hyundai has sponsored the sculpture and been enthusiastic about the project.”

The construction of the sculpture was paid for through sales of a lapel badge designed by BNU student Craig Wood.

Last year, an opinion-dividing memorial arch was unveiled in the High Street by former mayor Trevor Snaith.

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