The history of deckchairs goes back further than you might expect. Remains of foldable chairs have been discovered which date back to the Bronze Age. We also know that foldable chairs were used by the Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. It is unlikely that these ancient foldable chairs resemble our beloved deckchairs today, but it does show that the foldable design of deckchairs has been recognised throughout history as immensely practical and reliable.

The name “deck chair” was first used in the 1860s to describe foldable wooden chairs used on the decks of ocean liners. These original “deck chairs” had woven or cane seats and backs and resembled what we now know as “steamer chairs” today. It is debatable whether these chairs were first produced in America of in England with John Cham, an American, and John Thomas Moore, an Englishman, patenting portable foldable chairs at around the same time. As ocean liner travel became more popular, so did the use of “deck chairs”. Famously, the Titanic had 600 “deck chairs”, only six of which survived the disaster of its maiden voyage.

In the early 20th century, the custom of hiring deckchairs at seaside resorts in Britain became established. They were also widely used in large public parks such as Hyde Park and for spectators at informal sporting and musical events. Since then deckchairs have remained immensely popular. In fact in 2018 over 3000 deckchairs were used in Bournemouth during busy summer weekends.