CHAPTER I

PAGE INTRODUCTORY NOTE 25

The minor collector--The originality of the village cabinet-maker--His freedom from foreign influences--The traditional character of his work--Difficult to establish dates to cottage and farmhouse furniture--Oak the chief wood employed--Beech, elm, and ash used in lieu of mahogany and satinwood--Village craftsmanship not debased by early-Victorian art--Its obliteration in the age of factory-made furniture--The conservation of old farmhouses with their furniture in Sweden and in Denmark--The need for the preservation and exhibition of old cottages and farmhouses in Great Britain.