Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Carpenter John McLaughlin calls himself the Govan chair man… and he is proud to take a seat in his own hall of fame.

The 83-year-old’s home workshop near Glasgow is bursting at the seams, with more than 300 hand-crafted wooden chairs dedicated to people and places which have inspired him in the 28 years since he officially retired from his day job.

Billy Connolly, Alex Ferguson, Sean Connery, the Queen and Dorothy Paul are immortalised in his intricately carved creations, all made from reclaimed wood.

John, who has seven children, 18 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, said: “All of the chairs are made with love. If I meet someone or see someone who is inspirational or does a good deed, I dedicate a chair to them.

“I don’t take commissions and I don’t sell the chairs. I put so much heart and soul into them that I don’t want them to sell. I have a connection to everything I make as so much work goes into each piece. That’s why I want to keep them or just give them out on loan.”

John produced his first full-size chair after he had a heart attack in 1990, aged 54, and decided to re-evaluate his life.

He had previously been at the helm of his own roofing company, Skylight International, which he then handed on to his sons Andrew and Stephen. He was also chairman of city development agency the Govan Initiative for 10 years, hence his self-styled moniker.

John, who is married to Janet, 81, said: “I had been told to rest for three months when I came out of intensive care. I was used to working with wood and I had an idea that chairs were quite practical and would be nice things to make.

“I was listening to the radio and heard that Pat Lally, the leader of Glasgow City Council, was having problems with the contractors at the concert hall which was being built at the time.

“They didn’t think they would get it finished by the deadline so he just decided to bring new people in. I liked his style so I decided I would try to create a chair for him, which I did. It’s still on display to this day in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.”

His Billy Connolly chair features a treble clef and theatrical mask and a seat which has indentations for your backside.

He said: “As it was dedicated to Billy, I had to add some comedy value. I thought he was worthy of a chair. He’s a professional clown and the chair needed to reflect that. Billy wanted to buy it from me but I told him I wouldn’t part with it.”

John, who trained as an apprentice coach trimmer when he left school, only uses reclaimed wood.

He said: “I’ve never bought any wood. People just turn up with it or I get a call to collect it.

“I remember when the Royal Yacht Britannia was being decommissioned, there were bits being cut out of that.

“I also got some of the seats from the south stand at Hampden Park when it was being refurbished.

“I’ve done five trips to the Holy Land and brought stuff from there too and it’s always nicely used and well appreciated.”

John dedicated a chair to his family, which includes the names of himself and his wife and their seven children and the date of their marriage in 1956.

He also created a Holocaust chair, which took him years to design and make.

John said: “It contains six million poppy seeds to represent those who died, which move from top to bottom like sand in an egg timer. The Holocaust is something which should never be forgotten. The chair is my way of making sure of that.”

But it’s his Alex Ferguson chair which is on display in Old Trafford which has attracted the most attention.

He said: “It took three weeks to make. I presented that chair to Alex but made another similar chair for my collection.

“He’s been a friend of mine for more than 20 years. He became involved early on with Govan Initiative.

“It was easy to produce a chair for him – of course, he came from the area.

(Image: Daily Record)

“I remember him playing for a photo on a wooden horse I’d made when he visited my workshop in Govan.

He also helped with a campaign for Scotland Against Drugs when I made a wooden football, which went round the schools.

John, of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, was awarded an MBE for services to industry and the community in 1996 and wore a wooden top hat to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

He joked: “Everybody in Govan gets an MBE. I usually wear a wooden bunnet and bow tie. That has been my trademark for years.

“But someone said to me, ‘You need something more formal for the Queen.’ So I set about creating a top hat.”

John stopped making large chairs after he suffered a stroke five years ago and now only makes mini versions.

But he’s not about to craft one for the UK’s newest Prime Minister.

He said: “Am I inspired by Boris Johnson? No, forget about him. He’ll not be getting a John McLaughlin chair.”