Burr Walnut Wellington Chest of Drawers, 1860s

A Very Good Quality 19th Century Burr Walnut Wellington Chest, Having Superbly Figured Veneers Throughout, The Rectangular Top Over Seven Drawers with Mostly Original Turned Wooden Knobs, Flanked By Pilasters Headed with Attractive Carved Decoration, Raised On Original Plinth Base.


The first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, commissioned the first chest of this type, i.e. a tall bank of drawers secured by hinged locking pilasters to take with him and carry around various battlefields and that is where the name wellington chest comes from. It is now used to refer to almost any tall, narrow antique chest of drawers.

from around 1820 onwards they were manufactured in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, plus they varied a great deal in terms of both their quality and the wood which they are constructed from.

As always one of the big advantages with a chest of this form is that it offers a different and more unusual perspective to the room in terms of its height and proportion. Also of course the drawers are incredibly functional when used for items that you don’t wish to be buried at the bottom of the much larger drawers which can be found in conventional antiques chests of drawers.

This is a particularly good example of its type, with superbly figured burr walnut veneers and nearly all original turned wooden knobs with just a couple of closely matched replacements


Like all the items which we offer for sale, this Victorian Wellington Chest has been attended to in the traditional manner at our workshops before being offered for sale, by our highly trained and skilled antique furniture restorers including a light clean and natural wax polish to ensure that it is in retail condition and ready to be placed immediately into the home or workplace.

Circa 1860.

Height 48.75in.
Width 21.5in.
Depth 15.5in.