A ceremonial stool owned by a pioneering scientist who attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 is expected to make £200 at auction in Hertfordshire this week <June 5>.
Leading biochemist Kenneth Mellanby CBE (1908-1993) was among the 8,251 distinguished guests invited to momentous ceremony at Westminster Abbey on June 2.
Some 2,000 chairs and 5,700 stools were manufactured for the occasion – with chairs reserved for peers, while stools were used by other guests, or peers’ wives – or their footmen.
The stool is accompanied by an official programme of events detailing the full ceremony of prayers, hymns, oaths, processions and music.
Senior valuer at Royston-based Hansons Hertfordshire, Charles Revell, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to own a slice of royal history – a piece of furniture which witnessed the coronation of our beloved late monarch.”
Both the stools and chairs were produced by manufacturers based in High Wycombe – the centre of English chair making in the 1950s – with the blue velvet upholstery woven at the Lister Mills in Bradford.
Charles continued: “The design of the coronation furniture tells us a great deal about the era in which they were made. They can even reflect the monarch’s aptitude for the job – Edward VIII, who famously abdicated before his coronation, took very little interest in it, and the furniture designed was largely unadorned.”
To recoup costs of the ceremony, guests were given the opportunity to purchase the furniture they had used.
On June 23, 1953, Hansard noted: “In considering applications for chairs, preference will be given to those who occupied them. Chairs will cost £7 10s. 0d. each and stools £4 7s. 6d. each, including packing and delivery.”
Kings College graduate Kenneth Melllanby was one of hundreds of guests who made the most of the occasion by acquiring his stool.
His stellar career, as an ecologist, entomologist and medical researcher, guaranteed a place among the top tier of attendees to the prestigious event.
During WWII he became famous for pioneering research into scabies, which was a major problem among troops and civilians.
Working with volunteer subjects, many of them conscientious objectors, he proved thatscabies was spread mainly by close human contact, and not the result of infected bedding or clothing as previously believed.
His research, for which he was awarded an OBE, dramatically reduced unnecessary hospitalisation and expensive sterilisation procedures, reportedly saving the military huge sums.
In 1947 he became the first principal of what became the University of Ibadan, effectively helping establish Nigeria’s first university.
Charles Revell continued: “On the face of it, this is just a wooden stool but its connections to a leading scientist and its presence at one of the most august royal occasions of the 20thcentury elevates it to a very special place. Prices for coronation furniture are on the rise, as collectors begin to appreciate their historical associations.”
Auction Details
Auction: Hertfordshire Jewellery Auction: including Antiques & Collectables
Auction date: 5th June 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
