Battersea rescue dogs needing homes head to Highgrove for footstool photoshoot

Rescue animals from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home took part in a festive photoshoot at the King and Queen’s country estate Highgrove.

Percy, Darcie, Elspeth, Harper, Missy and Shadow, who are all looking for new homes in time for Christmas, were invited to Gloucestershire, travelling from the charity’s Old Windsor Centre.

They posed on a new range of bespoke footstools, crafted and upholstered using recycled curtains from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle by students and community groups working with Charles’s charity The King’s Foundation.

Darcie the Labrador puppy next to one of the bespoke stools (King’s Foundation/PA)

Camilla, who is patron of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, recently said a sad farewell to one of her own beloved Battersea rescue dogs, Beth, a 13-year-old jack russell terrier, who had to be put down due to illness.

Camilla adopted Beth in 2011 when she was a three-month-old unwanted puppy, and another jack russell, Bluebell, in 2012 after she was found wandering alone in a London park with a painful skin condition.

The King reportedly told TV presenters Alan Carr and Amanda Holden at the Royal Variety Show last week that he and the Queen would be looking at getting a new dog.

Asked whether the Queen might be tempted by any of the visiting dogs, a royal source said: “While it’s a little too soon for Her Majesty to start deciding on a new friend for Bluebell, she remains a great supporter of all the work that Battersea Dogs and Cats home does in finding loving homes for all their rescue pets – not just for Christmas but forever.”

Dog handler Chloe Wainwright with Harper, a jack russell terrier, at Highgrove (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Kaye Mughal, centre manager in Windsor, said: “It was a special day bringing some of our dogs from Battersea’s Old Windsor Centre to Highgrove Gardens.

“They enjoyed the day out, experiencing visiting a new place and getting into the festive spirit.

“They also enjoyed testing out some of the unique footstools and have officially given them their approval.”

Shadow the three-legged deerhound lurcher (The King’s Foundation/PA)

The six dogs – Percy, a sweet four-year-old white bichon cross; Darcie, a playful three-month-old black Labrador puppy;  Elspeth, an energetic and sociable one-year-old brown cocker spaniel; Harper, an intelligent and gentle three-year-old jack russell terrier; Missy, an inquisitive three-year-old black English cocker spaniel; and Shadow – a shy three-legged, four-year-old grey deerhound lurcher who loves walks – are all hoping to be rehomed.

Those interested should contact Battersea Dogs and Cats Home via battersea.org.uk for more information

The footstool project follows the success of the King’s Foundation’s luxury kimonos, which were made from old royal curtains last year at the suggestion of the King, and auctioned to support the foundation.

Dog handler Sean Welland with spaniel Elspeth (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Vast swathes of rich fabrics, which are believed to have dressed the windows in family and private rooms during the late Queen’s reign, were lying unused in storage after being collected during clear-outs over the decades.

The material spanned more than 40 years of royal curtain design, dating as far back as the 1950s and up to the 1990s, with much of it inspired by nature with floral or large leaf patterns, and a number of pieces from the 1980s including some denim.

Bespoke patchworks, using delft blue floral, vintage rose and teal, and rich damask burnt orange fabric left over from the kimono project, were made for the stools and combined with Harris Tweed by the King’s Foundation’s Sewing Bee group at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Missy, a Spaniel, and Percy, a Bichon Cross, were brought from Windsor to the the King’s Gloucestershire estate (Jonathan Brady/PA)

The fabrics were then sent to specialist education workshops at Highgrove Gardens, where students of the Metiers D’Art Fellowship – a collaborative course offered by foundation and Chanel in partnership with le19M – completed the upholstery and fitted it to eight handcrafted footstools.

The wooden stools themselves were made by graduates at the Snowdon School of Furniture.

The school’s 16-week Create programme trains a small cohort on the Highgrove estate on all aspects of the use of sustainable wood.

Graduates working on the stools at Highgrove (The King’s Foundation /Courtney Louise Photography/PA)

Simon Sadinsky, executive director of education for The King’s Foundation, said: “The footstools are a very special project as it’s the first time we have created items that represent a collaboration between two of our educational sites, Dumfries House and Highgrove Gardens, across three of our educational programmes.”

He added: “What has made it even more wonderful is being able to welcome some four-legged friends from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to mark the start of another magical festive auction – we hope this will in turn help to find them new homes.”

Percy wearing a Battersea Dogs and Cats Home coat (Jonathan Brady/PA)

The project highlights the foundation’s commitment to sustainability by using upcycled and natural materials.

The eight pieces of furniture, with suggested starting prices of £250 per item, will be auctioned online to support The King’s Foundation at uk.givergy.com/KingsFoundationFootstoolAuction/ from November 29 until December 16.

The King’s Foundation is the custodian of Highgrove Gardens and runs education workshops onsite for traditional and endangered crafts such as millinery and embroidery.