Antique Oak Settle

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Friday, March 04, 2022

A lovely type of furniture that many people aren’t familiar with are antique settles. These are unusual and not as common as their other seating counterparts such as armchairs, daybeds or sofas. An antique settle is a type of wooden English antique bench that features a high back and open arms. Settles were typically constructed from oak, however often other locally sourced wood was used. Antique settles originated somewhere around the early 17th Century, featuring a simple construction with clout nails or pegs. While most settles showcased simple carvings with raised plain panels for the back, there were those that were highly decorative with beautiful carvings.

If you look at settles, you may think they resemble nothing but gigantic chairs. So where were they used? Settles were mostly used in taverns, pubs, or even farmhouses. At Period Oak Antiques, we have a magnificent and rare gothic high-backed Anglo-French settle. This stunning piece of furniture features charming decorative detail on a wonderfully pale medieval colour with traces of original polychrome and gilding seen in the extremities of the carving.

This fantastic settle used to belong to Hever Castle, Kent. A striking piece that can be added to a hallway or even utilised in commercial spaces, as its intended use likely would have been. Check out our website to have a look at this amazing piece as well as others we have in our collection.