Building Dimensions for a Sissinghurst Bench

Replica Dimensions

• A handful of companies produce commercially available replicas of the Sissinghurst bench, each purportedly based directly on the dimensions of the original. The Barlow Tyrie Sissinghurst replica measures 77 inches wide, 22.5 inches deep and 41.75 inches tall. Chelsea Garden Furniture, an English company, produces a replica with similar dimensions – 78 inches wide, 25.2 inches deep and 42 inches tall. These measurements present only the most basic dimensions of the bench, providing a set of basic guidelines.

"Fine Woodworking" Dimensions

• “Fine Woodworking,” a magazine with online resources, publishes a manual on building Sissinghurst benches. This manual, which appears in the book "Furniture," contains a full set of dimensions for all aspects of these benches. The top of the “Fine Woodworking” bench back sits 40 inches above the ground, while the bottom of the seat sits 13.5 inches up and the arm rests at 29 inches. Author and woodworker Tony O’Malley recommends a 2.75-inch width on the legs and the armrests and a 0.75-inch radius on the circular portion of the armrest. This bench is 75 inches wide.

Ratio Building

• Ratio building allows you to make a smaller or larger bench than one built to existing dimensions while keeping the overall look of the piece intact. For instance, if you want to build a Sissinghurst bench two thirds the size of the Barlow Tyrie piece, simply multiply all dimensions by 0.67. Always multiply or divide all dimensions by the same number to ensure the bench you build maintains the proportions of the original dimensions.

Your Personal Bench

• Ultimately, you can build a Sissinghurst bench in any dimensions that suit your needs or your idea of how the bench should look. Looking at all the basic dimensions provided, the approximate ratio of width: depth: height for a Sissinghurst bench reads 3: 1: 1.5. Building a bench in any similar ratio, regardless of how big, will maintain the basic integrity and feel of the original design. O’Malley based the dimensions of his Sissinghurst bench on photographs of the original and the dimensions of replicas, making slight changes to the latter to fit his perception of the bench.