Jacobean Revival Oak Settle
These jacobean revival oak settle pieces offer sturdy seating and storage, bringing historic style to modern hallways.
Jacobean Revival Oak Settle
A jacobean revival oak settle provides heavy timber seating designed for hallways, receptions, and living spaces, often featuring high backs and enclosed lower compartments. The selections here span the Victorian era, the Edwardian period, and the early twentieth century up to nineteen thirty.
Forms vary from standard panelled benches and high back settles to convertible monks benches with fold over tops and lift up lids. These items serve practical seating and storage functions much as they did in earlier centuries, though built during later revival periods.
How they were made
Construction relies primarily on solid oak, shaped with panelled backs, box bases, and canopy tops, sometimes incorporating iron or metal fixings and hinges for moving parts. Surfaces display carved ornamentation, including Green Man motifs and traditional geometric patterns characteristic of the revival styles.
Upholstered elements appear occasionally, utilising fabric, velvet, and textile fringe to soften the heavy timber construction. Joinery techniques combine traditional panel framing with box storage compartments beneath the seats.
Several settles double as tables, proving that Victorian and Edwardian furniture designers loved a good furniture transformer.
What varies in quality
Quality differences emerge in the depth and crispness of the timber carving, distinguishing simpler panelled pieces from elaborately decorated items with canopy tops or figural motifs. The choice of golden or darker oak and the integration of functional elements such as folding tabletops and lift up lids also influence the character of each piece.
The weight and proportion of the timber frame separate standard production from more substantial examples, while the condition of integrated metalwork and secondary materials like velvet or fringe contributes to the overall presence of the furniture.
The Jacobean Revival Oak Settle Glossary
- Settle
- A wooden bench with a high back, solid arms, and often a box base for storage. This form protects against drafts in older properties.
- Monks Bench
- A dual purpose piece of furniture that converts from a bench with a high back into a table by folding the back over. It provides a compact surface for small rooms.
- Canopy Top
- An overhead wooden structure projecting above the back of a settle or seat. This feature echoes architectural elements from earlier centuries.
- Green Man
- A sculptural motif showing a human face surrounded by or sprouting from foliage. It appears frequently in carved wood ornamentation across revival furniture.
- Panelled
- Construction using fitted wooden frames and thin central boards to form flat surfaces. This technique accommodates natural wood movement.
Jacobean Revival Oak Settle: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a monks bench?
A monks bench is a convertible seat featuring a hinged back that folds down flat to form a table top. This dual purpose design provided a bench and a table within a single compact item.
Such pieces appear frequently in the twentieth century and Victorian selections on this page, offering practical utility for hallways and smaller reception spaces.
How do I use a settle?
A settle functions primarily as a hallway seat, where its high wooden back and solid sides provide shelter from draughts near entrance doors. Many examples also include a lift up seat giving access to interior box storage.
Placing one in a hallway or reception room creates a focal point while offering a practical place to store items like blankets or boots.
What is the difference between an Edwardian settle and a Victorian one?
Victorian examples often draw on heavier revival styles such as Baronial or Gothic influences, displaying deep carving and substantial proportions. Edwardian pieces tend towards lighter panelled designs while retaining traditional oak construction.
Both periods interpret earlier historic aesthetics, but Edwardian furniture frequently suits contemporary interior scales more readily than heavier Victorian equivalents.
What is a canopy top settle?
A canopy top settle incorporates an architectural wooden roof structure projecting over the top of the high backrest. This design element shelters the sitter and echoes medieval and seventeenth century seating forms.
These canopy versions stand out among hall seats for their imposing silhouette and elaborate carved woodwork.