The padding

The majority of manufacturers use foam, whereas traditionally natural materials such as horsehair, cotton and wool were layered up to provide padding. Today these materials have fallen out of favour because they take longer to apply and require greater skill.  However in the Wesley-Barrell workshops, we use a combination of natural materials and foam. Wherever possible we use natural materials, hair, cotton and wool felt and painstakingly layer them over the frame and springs. The benefits of natural paddings are that they are extremely resilient, inherently flame retardant and longer lasting.  They also allow air to circulate more freely, making them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Frank Lambourne – Frame Shop Supervisor (Has worked for Wesley-Barrell for 40 years.  His wife Leslie has also worked for Wesley-Barrell for 28 years).

‘I manage the making of the furniture from when the timber arrives into the Saw Mill to when a sofa or chair has had it's padding applied. What stands out to me about the furniture we make here at Wesley-Barrell is the extra mile we go to when making parts of the sofa the eye can’t see.  The strength and the thickness of the woods we use to make our frames meet contract standards.  Each coil spring to the front edge of the sofa seat is wrapped with wool felt to provide extra durability and the layers of padding we use are wherever possible made from natural materials.

I get the most satisfaction from seeing a piece of furniture that I may well of had a hand in making 30 years ago being returned to us - as part of the renovation service Wesley-Barrell offer – and finding once the upholstery has been removed the frame and springing are still as good as the day it was made.’