Despite encompassing some of the most expensive items of furniture ever made, many bookcases are still to be found at affordable prices.

In the 1660s, the English diarist Samuel Pepys had a set of 12 oak cases made to house his collection of books. These are among the first recorded specialised bookcases made for a private individual. Previously, books were considered so precious that small cabinets were constructed to transport them safely from place to place. From the late 17th century, books were increasingly housed in large glazed and fitted bookcases, but it was more than a century before smaller bookcases became commonplace items. (more…)

Glass perches, delft racks, whatnots and canterburies are just a few of the strangely named solutions to our ancestors’ storage and display needs.

Chaucer, in the Miller’s table, written in the 14th century, refers to ‘shelves couched at his beddes head’ — probably for books — but shelving for more general uses was rare before the 16th century. By the 19th century, however, a whole variety of other storage and display solutions had appeared. (more…)

On the Continent

It was probably Buddhist figures such as these that inspired the earliest European porcelain figures — `magots’ or models of humorous little Chinese Buddhas produced on the Continent — at Meissen, Saint-Cloud, Chantilly and Mennecy — from the 1720s to 40s, and in Britain from about 1780.

The Meissen Contribution

The European porcelain figure as we know it today, however, developed not from burial goods or religious models but as centrepieces for the banqueting tables of the aristocracy. (more…)

Embroidered pictures, samplers and everyday objects survive from as early as the 16th century, when Mary, Queen of Scots was a noted needlewoman.

Although Elizabethan needlework is rare today, a surprising number of early pieces dating from the 17th century onwards have survived. They include both so-called needle paintings, which present a picture in the form of embroidery, and also decorative household items such as bed- hangings, fire screens and cushions. (more…)

The trunk of a longcase clock is perfect for showing off cabinet-making skills, giving the owner not only a timepiece but an attractive piece of furniture.

Too many people, a longcase or ‘brand- father’ clock immediately conjures up nostalgic images of the past. But it is also an ideal combination of mechanics and furniture. A William and Mary marquetry longcase clock can be just as good an example of cabinet-making as, say, a chest of drawers of the same period, and its value will depend on the quality of both case and movement. (more…)

From plain Edwardian school clocks to cartel clocks mounted in elaborate ormolu, clocks to hang on the wall come in many shapes and sizes.

The ubiquitous wall dial of the Victorian and Edwardian periods is familiar from countless schools, kitchens and waiting rooms. In fact, wall clocks come in many forms, the fundamental distinction being between spring-driven clocks (which mostly run for eight days) and weight- driven clocks (mostly running for 3o hours). (more…)

Stoneware

As its name implies, stoneware is harder than earthenware, but it is also finer-textured and non-porous even if unglazed. The clays used could be fired to higher temperatures of around 1300°C (almost 2400°F), at which point the grains of clay fused together.

Most stoneware clays are grey, and so- called ‘brown’ stoneware tankards, flasks and so on often have only a wash of colour on the outside: a chipped edge will show that the brown colour is skin-deep. (more…)

Whether made to display the family china and silver or just to provide storage, the best pieces of dining room or kitchen furniture, from aristocratic Adam sideboards to humble dressers, are now worth thousands of pounds.

The sideboard can be traced back to the side table, originally used for serving food. The dresser, on the other hand, probably developed from the 17th-century court cupboard used to display plate. (more…)

Between the Metropolitan Railway, whose line ran north-west out of London through Wembley, Pinner and Chorleywood to Amersham, created the concept of Metro- land as an ideal place for city workers to live, outside the spread of London but conveniently linked to it by train. Given the vogue for fresh air and sunlight, outdoor sports and hiking, it was an inviting prospect which speculative builders helped to fulfil with a rash of tidy suburban homes in the revived ‘Queen Anne’ style. (more…)

Walnut and other close-grained timbers could be cut into thin slices of richly figured wood that could then be glued onto a carcass made of cheaper timber. There was far less wastage, and the softwood used in Britain to make the carcass was far easier to work than the more decorative hardwoods. The newskills were the province of the cabinet-maker.

The Carcass and Drawers

Oak was favoured for carcass work on the Continent, but British cabinet-makers preferred the softer Baltic pine. Particularly smooth, close-fitting joints were required where two panels met at right angles, since any movement would crack the veneer. The dovetail joint, with fan-shaped interlocking projections, was ideal— particularly in the lapped or stopped form, which concealed the dovetails. (more…)