A wooden bench is a long seat made of timber, designed to accommodate two or more people, with or without a back and arms. It is one of the oldest forms of seating and appears in halls, kitchens, churches, schools, taverns and gardens throughout history.
Before chairs became common in ordinary homes, benches and forms were the standard seating at the dining table, and many surviving English examples are made of oak or elm with simple plank tops and staked or trestle legs. Settles with high backs provided protection from draughts beside the fire, church pews and school benches were made in large numbers, and garden benches in teak, oak and painted softwood became popular in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Collectors value early country benches with good colour and patina, worn surfaces and honest construction, and look for evidence of genuine use such as rubbed stretchers and softened edges. Many benches have been cut down or made up from old timber, so the construction should be checked. Wooden benches are now used widely in kitchens, at the foot of beds, in hallways and boot rooms and at long refectory dining tables.
