Redwell Wood Farm / Potters Bar / Hertfordshire, EN6 3NA, UK | USD $, Yen, Euro and all major currencies accepted. Change Site Language | Help
Canonbury Antiques Canonbury Antiques
 
UK UK: + 44 (01707) 644717
USA USA: + 1 (877) 650-7261
USA: + 1 (877) 650-7261UK: + 44 (01707) 644717
  • Categories
  • Styles and Period
  • Room
  • Items on SALE!
  • Sell Your Items
  • Your Cart (0)
  • Contact Us
  • Visit Showroom
  • About
 
Subscribe to our newsletterand get 10% OFF!
search

Shop by Type
  • Dining Tables
  • Dining Sets
  • Art Deco
  • Tables
  • Dining Chairs
  • Seating and Chairs
  • Objet d Art
  • Bookcases
  • Bronzes
  • Desks
  • Buddha Statues
  • Lamps and Lighting
  • Steamer Trunk Luggage Cases
  • French Boulle Furniture
  • Architectural Salvage
  • Curios
  • Silver Plate
  • Oil Paintings
  • Cabinets and Chests
  • Chairs
  • Architectural
  • Fountains and Garden
  • Mirrors
  • Chinese Porcelain
  • Porcelain
  • Dressers and Sideboards
  • Tea Caddies
  • Glassware
  • Mirrored Furniture
  • Clocks

Shop by Style
  • Adams Antiques and Furniture
  • Art Deco
  • Art Nouveau
  • Arts and Craft
  • Biedermeier
  • Black Lacquer
  • Boulle Furniture
  • Burmese Furniture
  • Chinese Antiques
  • Chinoiserie
  • Chippendale
  • Colonial / Campaign
  • Continental Antiques
  • Dutch Marquetry Antiques
  • Edwardian Antiques
  • English Antiques
  • Epstein Furniture
  • Farmhouse Furniture
  • Francois Linke
  • French Antiques
  • French Empire
  • George II
  • Georgian Antiques
  • Gillows and Co Antiques
  • Gothic Antiques
  • Grand Tour Antiques
  • Hepplewhite
  • Irish Antiques
  • Italian Antiques
  • Jacobean Antiques
  • Japanese Antiques
  • Lacquer and Ebonized Furniture
  • Louis XVI
  • Maple and Co Antiques
  • Marquetry Inlay
  • Napoleon III
  • Neo-Classical
  • Queen Anne
  • Regency Antiques
  • Rococo
  • Sheraton
  • Sheraton Revival
  • Swedish Antiques
  • Syrian Moorish and Islamic Furniture
  • The Garden
  • Vernis Martin Lacquer
  • Victorian Antiques
  • William and Mary Antiques
  • William IV Antiques

Shop by Room
  • Castle Chic
  • Aviator Furniture
  • Farmhouse Kitchen
  • Gentlemans Club
  • Medieval Banquet
  • Parisian Apartment
  • Regency Dining Room
  • Roman Villa
  • The Dining Room
  • The Garden
  • The Hallway
  • The Kitchen
  • The Library
  • The Living Room
  • The Lounge
  • The Study
  • Urban Loft
  • Victorian Dining Room
  • William IV Dining Room
WITH VIDEOS
Global Shipping
Global Shipping
Secured Site
Amex
Master Card
Visa
Discover

Returns Policy 7

Monks Benches or Settles from Canonbury Antiques

GO BACK
all

Relevant categories: Dining Sets,Chairs,Seating and Chairs

Date
Oct
27
2020

Antique Oak Monks Bench Settle

(Above photo - Antique Oak Monks Bench Settle )

 

A monks bench or chair is a piece of furniture in the form of a wooden bench, with a high back and arms. It is created to accommodate three or four individuals. It was designed with a high back to ward off the draught that was common in medieval times. Due to their functionality, these chairs were used in the common rooms inside the house. If you were to buy a monks chair today, the most ideal place for it is the garden or patio.

 

Antique Carved Oak Settle - 18th Century Monks Bench Seat

(Above photo - Antique Carved Oak Settle - 18th Century Monks Bench Seat )


A monks bench was designed to be movable, even though some models were fixed. It is a collector’s favorite, comparable to chests and other types of chairs. In addition to the high back, a monks chair would have a wooden canopy or winged ends. The preferred position of the chair was in the sitting room near the fire.


What Material Is A Monks Chair Made From?

 

Antique 19th Century Celtic Monks Bench Settle Seat Carved Oak

(Above photo -  Antique 19th Century Celtic Monks Bench Settle Seat Carved Oak )


A monks chair was mainly made from hardwood such as oak and mahogany. Featuring the medieval design, it was solid, durable, and heavy. However, it isn’t easy to come across a chair from earlier than the mid-16th century. Most of those that exist today are from the Jacobean period.


There were the cheap chairs and the more expensive ones. As such, a less expensive monks chair would have a plain surface. More expensive ones had elaborate carvings or incisions. Their prominent places in the home were halls in the manors and farmhouse kitchens. By mid-18th century, the chairs had more than ran out of popularity.


How Did A Monks Bench Look Like?

 

Hand carved antique oak monks bench

(Above photo - Hand carved antique oak monks bench )


In designing a Monks chair, artists would create a plain chair capable of being moved around. However, there are other designs with inbuilt boxes under the seat and cupboards on the back. Some of them were used in homes and others in churches. Apart from acting as chairs, they provided the much needed storage space for all kinds of items.


Also, there was a monks chair that morphed into a table. Its base also had a chest. Its back had flanges with long slits at the bottom. When needed, the back would be raised so that the piece of furniture could be used as a table top. That is a combination of what we know as a monks chair and a monks bench.

 

Hand carved oak settle

(Above photo - Hand carved oak settle )


That kind of chair was highly functional. In rooms where there was need to provide move sitting space, all that was required is to roll the back into position. So, one moment it would serve as a dining table and the other a monks chair. Even though it isn’t clear if monks in medieval Europe ever used that kind of furniture, the name has stuck firmly.


Conclusion


Earlier on, we had alluded to the fact that you can buy a monks chair to put on your patio or garden. What we didn’t say is that the elaborately decorated chair can also add to your home’s interior décor. You also get additional storage space if it has a chest and cupboard.

 

 


 

Products Mentioned

Refectory Table and Bench Set ...

Pair Oak Farmhouse Benches Sea...

Large Refectory Table and Benc...

Antique Oak Monks Bench Settle...

 

More from our Knowledge Base

Everything you should know about Gainsborough Chairs JUN.21.2022

Gainsborough Chairs were designed and created during the George II era. They were named after Thomas Gainsborough, a British portraitist and artist who utilized the chair in having people pose for portraits. 

MORE
all

4 Ways to Design a Corner Cabinet JUN.17.2022

One of the best ways to maximize space in your kitchen or any other room is by installing a corner cabinet. Unfortunately, the corner presents problems by creating a natural obstruction, making it difficult to reach into a cabinet if it's deeper than 24 inches.

MORE
all

Everything You Should Know About Balloon Back Chairs JUN.17.2022

Are you looking for an easy way to furnish a dining room? Balloon back chairs are high utility furniture pieces that also create a rare aesthetic appeal. They have round, solid mahogany backs and padded seats that allow you and your guests to sit comfortably.

MORE
all

 

TOP OF THE PAGE
Top of the Page
  • SHOPPING
  • Shopping Cart
    Shopping Cart (0)
  • Buying Online
  • Get a Gift Voucher
  • Sold Items
  • CANONBURY INFO
  • Knowledge Base
  • About Us
  • Customer Testimonials
  • News
  • Newsletter
  • Sell your Antiques
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE
  • FAQs
  • Shopping
  • US Customer Service
  • Return Policy
  • SITE LANGUAGES
  • Our site can be translated into most languages using the Google Translate tool below:

  • SHIPPING
  • Shipping to United States
  • Shipping to Europe
  • Shipping to Rest of World
    FOLLOW US ON
  • You Tube
  • Facebook
  • Wordpress
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Flickr
  • SHIPPING
  • Shipping to United States
  • Shipping to Europe
  • Shipping to Rest of World
    FOLLOW US ON
  • You Tube
  • Facebook
  • Wordpress
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Flickr
+ 44 01707 644877
+ 44 01707 644717
  • CONTACT US

  • Confirm that you are human:
    5 + 2 =


  • SHOPPING
    Shopping
  • Shopping Cart
    Shopping Cart (0)
  • How to Buy
  • Get a Gift Voucher
  • Sold Items
  • CANONBURY INFO
    Shopping
  • Knowledge Base
  • About Us
  • Customer Testimonials
  • News
  • Newsletter
  • Sell your Antiques
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE
    Shopping
  • FAQs
  • Shopping
  • US Customer Service
  • Return Policy
  • SHIPPING
    Shopping
  • Shipping to United States
  • Shipping to Europe
  • Shipping to Rest of World
  • CONTACT US
    Shopping

  • Confirm that you are human:
    5 + 2 =


© - Canonbury Antiques - Redwell Wood Farm / Potters Bar / Herfordshine, EN6 3NA, UK

Website Developed by Nulence

© - Canonbury Antiques

Redwell Wood Farm / Potters Bar / Herfordshine, EN6 3NA, UK

Website Developed by Nulence