Bench Pair Parkland Teak Inscribed poem God's Garden Dorothy Frances Gurney

Rare pair of early/mid-20th century, weathered, teak, garden benches. The back rails carved with verses from 'God's Garden' by Dorothy Frances Gurney, 'The Kiss of the sun for pardon', The song of the bird for mirth', 'One is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth', with central owners monogram 'WW.' The slatted back and seat between open arms on square section supports and side stretchers, The seat rails with central brass discs 'B Maggs & Co, Queens Road Bristol'. These characterful benches are weathered to a beautiful silver grey and durable as the natural oil in teak ensures they can sit for decades in the landscape. Its very hard to date these benches due to the durability of teak and they could have been made in the 1930's.

Provenance : Private Collection, English parkland

Measures: Length 153cm, 60", 5ft depth 60.5cm, height 95cm., 37 1/2" depth 60cm.. 24"

PROVENANCE : Private Collection, Bristol

Dorothy Frances Gurney 1858-1932 English poet 

The Lord God planted a garden

In the first white days of the world,

And He set there an angel warden

In a garment of light enfurled.

So near to the peace of Heaven,

That the hawk might nest with the wren,

For there in the cool of the even

God walked with the first of men.

And I dream that these garden-closes

With their shade and their sun-flecked sod

And their lilies and bowers of roses,

Were laid by the hand of God.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,-

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

For He broke it for us in a garden

Under the olive-trees

Where the angel of strength was the warden

And the soul of the world found ease.

Maggs & Co., Queen's Road, Clifton - Established in the mid 19th century (1850) in Bristol, England as a manufacturer of beds. The company displayed it's iron and brass bedsteads in a showroom at 15 St. Augustine's Parade and grew to become a more general manufacturer and retailer of furniture, trading from a department store at 70-72 Queen's Road which was damaged along with many other buildings in the street during the blitz of the Second World War. Maggs & Co closed in the 1970's.