Robin Hood's Chairs

 

Several readers have contacted my blog about the so-called "Robin Hood Chairs," and John Nelson has shared another image of their use in Robin of Sherwood (1984–1986).

Back in 2011, while watching a rerun of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955–1958) starring Richard Greene, I recognised those distinctive chairs—originally designed by Carmen Dillon for Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood (1952). Later, I spotted one again in Robin of Sherwood (1984–1986), where the Sheriff (Nickolas Grace) was seated in it!

After writing about this discovery, my readers pointed out that the same chairs had appeared in several other medieval adventure films. Among them was Men of Sherwood (1954), which also reused props and costumes from Disney’s film.

After The Story of Robin Hood wrapped, it's likely that these "Robin Hood Chairs," along with thousands of other props, were shipped out of Denham Studios when Rank Organisation ceased film production. From there, they were probably rented out for various film and television projects.

With the help of my readers, I’ve started compiling a list of productions that featured props from Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood (1952)—some as many as 64 years later:

The Men of Sherwood Forest (Film, 1954)

The Black Knight (Film, 1954)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV, 1955–1958)

The Dark Avenger (Film, 1955)

Ivanhoe (TV, 1958) – Episode: The Night Raiders (featuring Joan Rice, who would have remembered these chairs from her time filming at Denham Studios)

Sword of Sherwood Forest (Film, 1960)

Robin of Sherwood (TV, 1984–1986)

The Mission – Stay With Me (Official Music Video, 1986)

Horrible Histories (TV, 2013–2015)

I would love to know where they are now!

If you know of any additional appearances, feel free to get in touch!