What is a canterbury used for now?

Most people use them for magazines or vinyl records. The divisions are spaced well to keep modern LPs upright and easy to flick through without them warping. The bottom drawer is useful for small modern clutter. Some buyers place them next to a reading chair to act as a low side table for their current books.

I have noticed that some of these have solid wooden panels on the sides instead of open slats. Does this mean they were meant for something else?

The solid panels are just a later stylistic shift. As the nineteenth century progressed, furniture tastes became heavier. Victorian cabinetmakers started using solid fret-cut wood instead of thin spindles. They still held sheet music, but the enclosed sides stopped thin paper sheets from slipping out.

How do the casters come off?

Most original casters are secured by friction and a single steel screw. Remove that side screw before pulling the brass cup downwards. Sometimes they stick. A gentle tap with a mallet breaks the seal.

My one has a top section that feels slightly wobbly when I try to push the whole thing across the carpet by the middle handle. Is that normal?

A little movement is standard. The upright posts are thin and join the heavy base with small dowels. When you push against carpet resistance, that joint takes the strain. You should push them from the heavy base rather than pulling the thin top handle.

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Antique Canterburys from the 19th Century

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Antique canterburys are low, freestanding racks set on casters, originally designed to hold sheet music beside a piano. Most feature a slatted or spindled upper section divided into compartments, sitting above a shallow base drawer for storing smaller items.