How do I fix a wobbly dining chair?

Loose joints need proper attention. You'll have to take the frame apart carefully. Knocking a few nails in will only split the old timber. Clean the old animal glue out of the mortises first. Hot hide glue is the best thing to use when putting it back together.

What is a drop-in seat?

A drop-in seat is a separate wooden frame covered in fabric. It rests on rebates cut into the main seat rails. You push them out from underneath.

My old armchair sits quite low to the ground and someone recently said that it might have been cut down for a child?

Chairs sometimes lose height for a few reasons. Feet rot on damp floors and owners trim them back to solid wood. Others were deliberately shortened to sit closer to the fire. Children's chairs were usually built to scale from the start. A full-sized seat frame on short legs isn't normally a nursery piece. Look at the proportions of the stretcher. If it sits too close to the floor, the legs have probably been cut down.

The upholstery on my velvet nursing chair is looking tired these days, is it a bad idea to get the whole thing recovered?

Recovering is standard practice. Very few chairs retain their first covering. Fabrics wear out long before the wooden frame fails. Keep any original horsehair stuffing if you can. A good upholsterer will build it back up and stretch new fabric over the top. Modern foam alters the profile.

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Antique Chairs from the 19th Century

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Designed for a single sitter, an antique chair is a raised seat resting on legs and fitted with a backrest, originally built to provide comfort and status at a dining table or hearth.