Author pens biography of Lewes Chair Man
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The Chair Man, by local author Angela Wigglesworth, looks at Mr Lee's life as a craftsman and how he came to be the well-known Lewes figure he is.
“When I heard about his life, I knew I couldn’t resist writing about it,” said Angela. "Many people in Lewes will know John as he demonstrates his chair caning craft in Lewes Precinct and customers come from all over Sussex."
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Hide AdThe son of a Romany gypsy mother and a French travelling salesman, the young John Lee was taught to cane chairs by his Italian grandmother and, at thirteen, earn a living doing this on the streets of London. At seventeen, and after his one and only day at school, he became a waiter on a cruise ship.
Unable to read or write until he was thirty five, he succeeded over the years in running a successful building company, seven fruit and vegetable shops and a restaurant in Spain.
It will be available in Lewes from Skylark in the Needlemakers, Sussex Stationers and Waterstones.
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