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Knossos Throne

Started by meantimebob, Feb 18, 2006, 02:34 am

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meantimebob

Feb 18, 2006, 02:34 am Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 01:13 pm by Scarfwearer
Apologies if this is already widely known but its something I only discovered for myself today and thought others on here might be interested.

For some odd reason, I've always really liked that wooden chair which used to be in the console room. It was first seen in the Unearthly Child at the far right of this photo

tardis6insideunearthlychildcc.jpg

and continued to make appearances in the programme...

st--2z81.jpg
(a shillpages screen cap)

right up until season 14, where it looked as though it had finally been moved back to the room where it rightfully belonged...

secondary-control-room.jpg

Isn't it a lovely bit of design? I often wondered if it was just a stock piece of prop furniture from the BBC store or if it had been especially designed and constructed for the programme (unlikely I guess). And then, today, I came across this...
knossosthroneroom.jpg
the throne room of King Minos on Crete and just take a look at his throne!
lk23n013-1.jpg

Now isn't that interesting? And here's a wooden replica as well.
Knossos3.jpg
So, what I would like to ask those of you who know far more about these things than I do, is: is this widely known? Were these copies readily available in furniture shops nearly 50 years ago and if so, where could I lay my eager hands (or bottom) on one? And lastly, does that finally prove the Doctor wasn't merely being glib when he talked about that ball of string Romana found in the hold?

Rassilons Rod

Dec 16, 2009, 08:50 pm #1 Last Edit: Jan 25, 2010, 06:25 am by scarfwearer
Thats fantastic! Thanks!!! :)
In the cities in the streets there's a tension you can feel,
The breaking strain is fast approaching, guns and riots.
Politicians gamble and lie to save their skins,
And the press get fed the scapegoats,
Public Enema Number One.

celation

Feb 13, 2009, 05:44 pm #2 Last Edit: Feb 09, 2010, 08:07 pm by Scarfwearer
With my interest in the Hartnell/Troughton console room, I'm also interested in the decorative items he has around the room, so I thought I'd start a thread about it.

I think it was Marc who pointed out that the wooden chair in the room is a copy of the Knossus Throne. It's the same one that turns up in Masque of Mandragora.

Found this image online:

Knossos%2C%20Replica%20of%20Carbonized%20King%27s%20Throne%20%20050.jpg

Which is remarkably close to the Doc's one.

I'd love to get one made...

C.

karsthotep

Feb 13, 2009, 06:05 pm #3 Last Edit: Jan 26, 2010, 10:04 am by Scarfwearer
I have always wanted that chair as well.  You can see on the bottom where the circucle is broken..its identical.  Would be a great piece to have

Karst
I want notes, lists and answers by the time I finish this here Juicy-a-Box! WARNING: I am Thirst-ay! And it is Fruit Punch! And it is Delicious!"

Rassilons Rod

Feb 14, 2009, 10:19 am #4 Last Edit: Jan 26, 2010, 10:05 am by scarfwearer
Oh, I did get my info from someone else at the time :) There were a few pics of it about.

That chair appeared in a few Pertwees and was in there throughout the season 14 wooden console room.

It was also the "Cash and Carry, Constantinople" chair from The Deadly Assassin.

-Marc
In the cities in the streets there's a tension you can feel,
The breaking strain is fast approaching, guns and riots.
Politicians gamble and lie to save their skins,
And the press get fed the scapegoats,
Public Enema Number One.

meantimebob

Feb 14, 2009, 03:26 pm #5 Last Edit: Jan 26, 2010, 10:05 am by scarfwearer
That may have been my thread on a different board. I spotted a photo of the stone throne in a book in a market and recognised it immediately.

I supposed it must have been used in other productions before Doctor Who, I wonder which?


lk23n013-1.jpg

Rox

Mar 02, 2009, 09:54 am #6 Last Edit: Jan 26, 2010, 10:05 am by scarfwearer
I love stuff like this; what a fantastic chair.  :)
My pilot's license? That's out back in the Cessna. Or perhaps you're referring to my license to kill. Revoked. Trouble at the Kazakhstan border.

I could give you the details but then I'd have to kill you, which I can't do because my license to kill has been revoked.

Teletran

Aug 13, 2009, 10:08 pm #7 Last Edit: Jan 26, 2010, 10:05 am by scarfwearer
Quote from: celation board=discuss thread=66 post=335 time=1234547079

Knossos%2C%20Replica%20of%20Carbonized%20King%27s%20Throne%20%20050.jpg


I made a 3D model of the chair for my console room but I didn't have any reference quite as good as this. Apparently the archaeologist that excavated the site had a couple of knockoffs made, one for the museum one for his sitting room, you know the sort of thing. Because the chair is against the wall of the console room I was able to work out some rough dimensions with that and the detailing visible in the picture above we should be able to draw up some workable plans.

chair10.th.png


By the way the reason the museum replica is in such a state is because it's outside, took me a while to work this out.
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1360/omni02g.jpg)

Scarfwearer

Feb 18, 2006, 08:04 am #8 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:25 pm by scarfwearer
Fascinating...
I'd often wondered about that chair and even briefly considered trying to make one.
Now you've found out what it is, there's some hope of finding one: I've no idea if it is/was a popular reproduction or not, but since it's a copy of something reasonably iconic there's a good chance that there are quite a few in the wild.
Nice find!

Crispin

dematerialiser

Feb 18, 2006, 09:47 am #9 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:25 pm by scarfwearer
wow - well spotted Meantime!! That's an almost impossible bit of research...!

cheers
Chris

meantimebob

Feb 18, 2006, 11:41 am #10 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:25 pm by scarfwearer
It was pure serendipity. I was in a market yesterday, looking at a book stall, leafing through a tome on archaeology and there it was. I was more excited than a grown man has a right to be over such things.

dematerialiser

Feb 23, 2006, 09:40 am #11 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:25 pm by scarfwearer
LOL!
It's a brilliant find. Now - if we can just use the same method to find some of the lost episodes....
;)

Teletran

May 16, 2006, 02:42 am #12 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:26 pm by scarfwearer
notice that the prop version has the half moon detail under the legs which is present on original yet missing from the replica
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1360/omni02g.jpg)

Doctor Who

Aug 24, 2006, 01:52 am #13 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:26 pm by scarfwearer
Look carefully at the wooden replica. You can see where the wooden moon design between the front legs is just broken off. That chair did have it originally. I wonder if Ebay might have one.
There is no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.

tardisrooms

Mar 28, 2007, 12:33 pm #14 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 12:26 pm by scarfwearer
I have to wonder if it was always the same chair, or if the bbc started out with a set of 8 all those decades ago.