What is a pot board base?

It is a low, flat shelf sitting just above the floor level. The shelf rests on the stretchers connecting the front and rear legs. This open space serves as an integrated platform. It keeps goods off the cold floor while tying the lower framework together.

My grandmother always called hers a tridarn but how is that different to a normal dresser with a rack on top?

A cwpwrdd tridarn translates as a three-part cupboard. It features a standard enclosed base and an upper section with doors, much like a deuddarn. The difference is the third tier on top. This open, canopied shelf usually sits on turned pillars at the front. It was a regional design specific to North Wales. Standard dressers just have flat shelves resting directly on a base.

Can they be moved easily?

Most of the larger pieces divide into two or three horizontal sections. The rack simply lifts off the lower carcase. This modular construction made transport manageable for rural communities.

The iron handles on the drawers look a bit rough and mismatched compared to the smooth brass ones you see on city furniture, is that normal for these?

Rural joiners used whatever hardware the local blacksmith could forge. Iron ring pulls and wooden knobs are standard on regional pieces. Sometimes you find matched brass plate handles on later Georgian examples. Households frequently updated their hardware when fashions changed. This practice often left older marks or filled holes visible behind the new backplates. Look for these shadows as evidence of a long working life.

Home > Cupboards > Welsh Cupboards > Page 3

Antique Welsh Cupboards

← Page 3 of 5 →

These robust, multi-tiered oak storage pieces feature open upper racks for display alongside solid panelled doors in the base to secure daily household goods.