High Back Settle Bench
A high back settle bench offers solid draught-excluding seating for a hallway, kitchen or fireside, combining traditional carpentry with practical storage.
High Back Settle Bench
A high back settle bench provides substantial seating designed to block cold draughts in older rooms. You will frequently encounter versions in oak, elm and pine originating from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The form typically incorporates a tall solid back and arms, often accompanied by enclosed storage beneath the seat. Examples range from provincial tavern benches to carved Victorian hall pieces.
Earlier pieces frequently show regional English country construction, while later nineteenth-century examples display revival carving such as green man motifs.
How they were made
Joiners built these seats using native timbers including oak, elm and pine, often utilising pegged joints and panelled construction for stability. Iron and brass fixings appear where hinges or hardware secure the seat or storage compartments.
Surface treatments range from bare scrubbed wood to remnants of historic paint, while carved details in Victorian iterations demonstrate panel relief work.
High Back Settle Bench Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for high back settle bench among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
A bacon settle served a dual purpose as seating by the hearth and a ventilated larder for hanging salted meats.
What varies in quality
The standard of a high back settle bench rests upon the integrity of its timber, the balance of its proportions and the originality of its construction. Pieces retaining their primary board seats and untouched structural joinery stand apart from those with extensive replacement timber.
Subtleties in the depth of provincial carving and the tactile warmth of the aged surface distinguish straightforward utilitarian seating from master-carved hall furniture.
The High Back Settle Bench Glossary
- Settle bench
- A wooden seat featuring a high back and arms designed to shield occupants from draughts. These pieces often include box storage beneath the lift-up seat.
- Bacon settle
- A specialised variant featuring a high timber back historically used for curing and storing meat in the upper sections.
- Provincial
- A term denoting items made in regional workshops outside metropolitan centres, often displaying robust local traditions rather than court fashions.
- Monks bench
- A multifunctional furniture form designed to convert between a table and a high back seat with storage.
High Back Settle Bench: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a high back settle bench?
A high back settle bench is a traditional wooden seat with a tall panelled back, enclosed arms and frequently a box compartment beneath the seat.
Historically placed in draughty hallways, kitchens and public houses, it offered shelter from cold air while providing secure household storage.
How do I date a settle bench?
Dating relies upon examining the timber species, construction techniques like pegged joints, and any decorative carving or mouldings.
Earlier pieces from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries typically employ native oak or elm with hand-planed boards, while pine and machine-sawn elements become prevalent by the nineteenth century.
Where should I place a settle bench?
These pieces suit entrance halls, boot rooms and large farmhouse kitchens where their tall backs can anchor a seating area.
Ensure you measure the ceiling height and clearance for doorways, as seventeenth and eighteenth-century examples were built with substantial dimensions.
Did settle benches have storage?
Many examples feature a hinged seat lifting to reveal a deep compartment used originally for blankets, boots or provisions.
Some provincial variations omitted storage in favour of an open framework, depending on their intended use in taverns or domestic halls.