Monks bench
A monks bench or hutch table is a piece of furniture where a tabletop is set onto a chest in such a way that when the table was not in use, the top pivots to a vertical position and becomes the back of a Settle, and this configuration allows easy access to the chest lid which forms the seat of the piece.[1][2][3] Percy Blandford notes that "whether monks ever used such a bench is debatable, but it is an attractive name".[4]
A monks bench was a very useful form at a time when many homes had a large room used for multiple functions, because it allowed a large dining table to swing up and out of the way.[5]
See also[]
- Onit chair
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monks benches. |
Notes[]
- ^ monks bench (British English) or hutch table (American English)
- ^ Pearson 1985, p. 39.
- ^ Carney 1950, p. 97.
- ^ Blandford, p. 132.
- ^ Strickland 1953, p. 165.
References[]
- Blandford, Percy W. (1982). Constructing tables and chairs— with 55 projects (illustrated ed.). Tab Books. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8306-1424-0.
- Carney, Clive (1950). Furnishing art and practice. Oxford University Press. p. 97.
- Pearson, Lu Emily Hess (1985) [1957]. Elizabethans at Home. Stanford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8047-0494-6.
- Strickland, Calton (March 1953). "The Early American Hutch Table". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. 99 (3): 165–167. ISSN 0032-4558.
Categories:
- Benches (furniture)
- Tables (furniture)
- History of furniture
- Furniture
- Mechanical furniture