A storage bench is a seat incorporating an enclosed compartment, usually reached by lifting a hinged seat or lid, so that the piece offers both somewhere to sit and space to keep linen, blankets, boots, logs or other household items. It belongs to a long family of dual-purpose furniture that includes the coffer, the box settle and the window seat.
The idea dates back to the medieval chest, which commonly served as a seat as well as a store. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries joined oak settles with box bases and coffers with panelled fronts were standard furnishings in English houses, and the type was revived enthusiastically by Victorian makers, who produced carved Gothic and Jacobean-style hall benches and monk's benches, the latter with a hinged back that folds down to form a table. Later examples include upholstered ottomans and window seats fitted into bay windows. Collectors look for original hinges and locks, good colour and patina, and sound boards, and should be aware that some Victorian carving was added to plain earlier pieces. Storage benches remain practical in halls, boot rooms, landings and at the foot of beds.
