A craftsman woodturner will be watching the King's coronation closely as he worked on the chair that has been the centrepiece of the ceremony for over 700 years.

Mike Bradley, from Faringdon, was hand chosen by the architect to help make the oak columns for the coronation chair enclosure at Westminster Abbey.

The chair in St George’s Chapel is one of the most precious and famous pieces of furniture in the world.

It is placed in the centre of the Abbey, in front of the high altar and encloses the famous Stone of Scone which will be used for King Charles III's coronation, as per tradition.

When Westminster Abbey was refurbished in 2013, the coronation chair also received a makeover.

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Mike’s son Adam, who also works in the business, said: “As part of the refurbishment they commissioned a new enclosure for the chair and the architects involved in the project picked my dad immediately.

“The four uprights were made in our workshop in Faringdon. They wanted an English timber and we chose English oak because of its strength.

"Each pole was made in sections and screwed together using a metal threaded bar so they could be transported and put together on the site."

The enclosure was very visible at the Queen’s coronation and should be on show again this weekend.

Mr Bradley senior is a nationally-recognised craftsman who has worked in the business for 43 years and has made items for design guru Sir Terence Conran’s London shop.

He also received an unusual commission from Sir Elton John.

Adam said: “He made the drawer knobs for a glasses case for him. It had lots of individual drawers for all the different glasses he wears.

“Sadly he didn’t get to meet him which is a shame as he’s a massive Elton John fan.”

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Mr Bradley, who lives in the town with his wife and son, sold his business last year to a former employee and it is now called Cotswold Woodworking.

However, he is still involved and working in the workshop two days a week.

He has yet to visit Westminster Abbey to see the results of his craftsmanship in situ.

However as the chair remains the place where the monarch sits in the moment that they are crowned, marking a tradition and a connection to all those who have come before them, he should get a good view.

Adam said: “We will be watching the coronation on Saturday and we will be keeping a very close eye.”