The 70 islands of the Orkney archipelago, located a 45-minute ferry ride north of the Scottish mainland, have their own unique culture. Like the Shetland Islands further to the north, the Orkneys were settled in prehistoric times. Archaeological ruins abound, including the famous village of Skara Brae, which dates from about 3100 B.C.E. The islands' contact with Norse Vikings, who arrived in the 9th century C.E., has heavily influenced their contemporary culture. In fact, the Orkneys belonged to Norway until 1472, when they were transferred to Scotland as part of a royal marriage dowry.

With sturdy frames and high, curved backs, Orkney chairs furnished in Orkney homes throughout history. Before central heating, their unique shape helped keep Orcadians warm in cold, drafty homes. Because of the strong North Sea winds, almost no trees grow on Orkney, and wood has always been too valuable to be used for everyday items. Orcadians became experts at using straw for baskets of several kinds (kaesies, cubbies, luppies), mats (flackies), and straw ropes (simmens), as well as for bedding, shoes, and furniture.

The best straw for making Orkney chairs comes from black murkle oats - a variety that grows on poor soils and can withstand strong winds and rain. It is harvested in the fall and after it dries, the grain head is cut off and the straw dressed (loose leaves removed), bundled together, and nailed or laced into the chair's wooden frame. Today's style of Orkney chair developed about 100 years ago when David Munro Kirkness (1854-1936), a joiner based in Kirkwall, Orkney's largest town, began to make and market Orkney chairs to the Scottish mainland.

Chair-makers Jackie and Marlene Miller are both Orcadians. Jackie learned to make chairs from older members of his family. Today, they use only locally grown straw to handcraft Orkney chairs at their shop, Scapa Crafts, in Kirkwall.

—There are no trees on Orkney - a key to understanding why this handsome, distinctive type of armchair unique to the islands north of the Scottish mainland is traditionally made of driftwood and braided sea grass ropes. Jackie learned to make these traditional chairs from his family and now makes them full-time at his shop, Scapa Crafts, in Kirkwall, Orkney.
www.scapacrafts.co.uk