The Coronation Chair - in pictures

  • Conservator Krista Blessley works on the restoration of the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey in London, before the coronation of King Charles III. All photos: PA
    Conservator Krista Blessley works on the restoration of the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey in London, before the coronation of King Charles III. All photos: PA
  • The chair was made around the year 1300 for King Edward I
    The chair was made around the year 1300 for King Edward I
  • Experts debate about when the chair was first used to crown a monarch: It had featured in coronation ceremonies since 1308 but the first confirmed use was to crown Henry IV in 1399
    Experts debate about when the chair was first used to crown a monarch: It had featured in coronation ceremonies since 1308 but the first confirmed use was to crown Henry IV in 1399
  • Ms Blessley has spent four months meticulously preserving the flaking gilding and cleaning the chair’s surface using sponges and cotton swabs
    Ms Blessley has spent four months meticulously preserving the flaking gilding and cleaning the chair’s surface using sponges and cotton swabs
  • Much of the graffiti on the inside of the chair’s back rest was carved by Westminster schoolboys and visitors to Westminster Abbey during the 18th and 19th centuries
    Much of the graffiti on the inside of the chair’s back rest was carved by Westminster schoolboys and visitors to Westminster Abbey during the 18th and 19th centuries
  • Pieces of wood were also taken as souvenirs and during a 1914 bomb attack, thought to be the work of the suffragettes, a small corner was knocked off
    Pieces of wood were also taken as souvenirs and during a 1914 bomb attack, thought to be the work of the suffragettes, a small corner was knocked off