Antique English Georgian Oak Chest on Chest of Drawers Secretaire Writing Desk (Circa 1780)

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Object Description

This is a fine quality antique English Georgian chest on chest, constructed of solid oak, boasting a stunning Secretaire interior, circa 1780, in excellent condition.

Summary:
• Item: Secretaire Chest on Chest
• Circa: 1780
• Period: Georgian
• Provenance: England, UK
• Wood: Solid oak
• Moulded cornice
• Fluted quarter columns to corners
• 8 graduated drawers in total
• Oak lined drawers
• Hand dovetailed drawers
• Moulded beaded drawer fronts
• Old replacement brass swan neck handles & fretwork escutcheons
• Original working drawer locks (with working key)
• Locking pull-out secretaire with fall disguised as drawer front
• Brass fall retention hooks
• Brass folding fall support stays
• Shaped oak side supports
• 6 internal pigeonhole slots
• 6 internal drawers
• 2 vertical reeded secret drawers
• Central ‘cubby hole’ with locking door
• Secret locking drawer within ‘cubby hole’, disguised as trim
• Original bracket feet
• Lovely colour & patination
• Good condition
• Dismantles into 2 sections
• Ideal for clothes storage
• Free delivery to mainland England, Wales & Southern Scotland*
• Free 14-day UK returns policy

Description:
This is an excellent quality antique English Georgian solid oak secretaire chest on chest, boasting a lovely colour, circa 1780, in excellent condition. The chest comprises a moulded cornice to the top section, with fluted quarter columns to the corners of the top and base section. The chest consists of two halves with a moulded waist to the base section. The top section is smaller than the bottom section, with a proportionately balanced waist. The chest features a total of 8 drawers, with 3 smaller drawers and 2 full-width drawers to the top section, and a further 3 drawers to the base section. The drawers are oak lined, constructed with hand dovetail joints and finished with moulded fronts. They also retain their original working locks, with working key, and feature old replacement brass swan neck handles & fretwork escutcheons. Disguised as a third full-width drawer to the top section, is a locking pull-out secretaire section. The ‘drawer front’ fall is secured by brass hooks on either side and opens to form a writing surface, held in place by folding brass stays. The writing surface is also flanked by shaped oak brackets. The secretaire section boasts a total of 6 pigeonhole slots, above 6 drawers with scribe moulded fronts and brass knobs, either side of a ‘cubby hole’ with a locking door, which retains the original lock and its own separate key. The ‘cubby hole’ is flanked by two reeded vertical secret drawers. The secret vertical drawers can be opened by reaching inside the corresponding pigeonhole of each side, where a finger can be inserted into a small opening in the lining, to flick open the drawers. The interior of the ‘cubby hole’ itself also includes another secret drawer, to the top, disguised as decorative trim. This drawer is perfect for important documents or valuables, as it is especially convoluted to access; the secretaire section must be pushed back in its place, as if to stow it, and the drawer immediately above must be completely removed. Once this has been done, a peg becomes accessible inside the now empty drawer slot, to the bottom of the lining, towards the rear. Removing the peg unlocks the secret drawer (see photos). The bottom section terminates on a simple moulded apron, terminating on its original moulded bracket feet. The chest retains its original backboards. The item is a two-piece chest; it dismantles into two sections for easy transport and access into the house. This is an ideal item for the bedroom or landing as it provides significant storage space for clothes, as well as a space-saving solution for an at-home workspace.

The chest boasts a stunning rich oak oxblood colour. It has a fantastic colour and patination; this can only be achieved through age and years of care and cleaning it has received.

This Georgian secretaire chest on chest would look superb in a variety of rooms from the hallway, to the living room or bedroom and is very useful as there are so many storage drawers. This item would certainly grace any home. So, don’t miss out on your chance to own a lovely piece of furniture.

Dimensions:
External Height = 164.5cm or 64¾” or 5ft 4¾”
Top Section Height = 88.7cm or 35” or 2ft 11”
Top Section Width = 112.3cm or 44¼” or 3ft 8¼”
Top Section Depth = 56cm or 22” or 1ft 10”
Base Height = 77cm or 30¼” or 2ft 6¼”
Base Width = 113.2cm or 44⅝” or 3ft 8⅝”
Base Depth = 55cm or 21⅝” or 1ft 9⅝”
Writing Height = 82.3cm or 32⅜” or 2ft 8⅜”
Writing Width = 90.3cm or 35½” or 2ft 11½”
Writing Depth = 41cm or 16⅛” or 1ft 4⅛”
Knee Height = 80.3cm or 31⅝” or 2ft 7⅝”

Free UK Delivery*:
We offer free delivery to mainland England, Wales, and Southern Scotland (anywhere south of Stirling). *We do not offer free delivery to locations north of Stirling in Scotland, Northern Ireland, or any British Islands off the mainland; for example, the Isle of Man, Isle of White and Channel Islands. If you live in one of the areas where we do not offer free delivery, please contact us for a delivery quote before purchasing the item. Delivery will be made by our specialised antique furniture delivery service, or in some cases we will use a courier service for distant deliveries.

Delivery times are usually 1-4 weeks depending on location; we aim to deliver the majority of items within 2 weeks. All items are professionally packaged and fully insured in transit, therefore, we can assure you, your items will be securely protected in transit and arrive safely with you.

Once you have purchased an item, we will contact you by email and/or telephone and provide you with a provisional delivery date, in order for you to confirm if it is suitable for you. Once you have confirmed you can accept delivery on the provisional delivery date, we will book the delivery in with our shippers and it then becomes a confirmed delivery date.

We will also provide you with our shippers’ contact details, in case you need to contact the driver on the day of delivery. It’s helpful if you can provide us with both the landline and mobile telephone number, in case the driver cannot reach you on one of the numbers on the day of delivery, they can contact you on your alternative number.

In order to be able to offer you free delivery, it is based on a 1-man delivery only. For any large items that require 2 people to lift the item, we ask that you are available at the time of delivery to be able to give our shipper a lift off the van and into your house with the item. If you are not able to lift items yourself, we ask that you have someone on hand at the time of delivery to assist our shipper with lifting the item.

Free 14 Days UK Returns & Refunds:
A free 14-day “no quibble” returns policy (from the date you receive the item) is available if you are not happy with this item. We will collect the item free of charge from you (we do not charge a return fee / collection fee). You will be given a full refund as long as the item is returned in the same condition. We will collect returns using our own specialist furniture delivery company. We will not accept returns via a courier service (due to experience of damaged items in transit). This refund policy only applies to deliveries to the UK.

UK Buyer Payment:
For UK buyers, we accept cash on collection or delivery; cheque, credit card, BACS (free bank to bank transfer) or PayPal. Payment is requested within 5 days of the sale. Payment must be cleared before the items are collected or delivered.

International Buyers:
If you live outside the UK and you would like to purchase this item, please contact us before purchasing it, so that we can obtain an accurate shipping quote and delivery lead-time. The shipping quote provided is a global estimate only. The actual shipping cost will vary by country and postcode. Due to the distances and costs involved with shipping outside the UK, a returns policy is therefore not available for international buyers. Before placing your order(s) please make sure this is the item for you. We request payment by bank transfer (we do not accept payment via PayPal, credit or debit cards for international purchases). Payment is requested within 10 days of the purchase. Payment must be cleared before the items are collected or delivered to our shippers. The advertised price of the item does not include the shipping cost, sales tax, import duty or custom fees.

Important information regarding PayPal payment:
We only accept payment from fully verified PayPal account holders with confirmed addresses only. Items will only be sent to the confirmed address registered in PayPal. If you purchase an item and your address is not confirmed, your payment will be refunded and the purchase cancelled. It only takes a few moments to verify and confirm your PayPal details.

About the Seller:
This item is being sold by Yola Gray Antiques who is an accredited member of LAPADA (the UK’s largest Trade Association of Professional Art and Antique Dealers) and CINOA. CINOA is the world association of Art & Antique dealer associations. All LAPADA & CINOA members abide by their strict code of practice by adhering to reputable standards of quality, expertise and integrity.

Yola Gray has dealt in fine art and antique furniture for over 40 years. Yola Gray has a special interest in Colonial furniture, specifically Colonial Four Poster Beds. Yola Gray also provides a variety of fine English Antique Furniture, Art and Fabrics to clients in the UK, Europe and further afield.

Please visit the Yola Gray website at www.yolagray.com for further items and information.

Ref. 50668

Object Condition

This Georgian oak Secretaire chest on chest is in excellent overall condition. Nominal old use marks to the leading edges, frame, sides, drawer bottoms, and writing surface, but nothing significant considering the age of the item. The chest on chest has been traditionally French polished by hand in our workshop, to a professional standard, therefore, the finish, colour and patination is of an excellent standard. The original oak lined drawers are constructed with quality hand dovetail joints, around a moulded drawer frame. The drawer fronts are decorated with old replacement quality brass swan neck handles and fretwork backplates. The drawers close flush to the frame and retain their original working locks (with key).

The Secretaire compartment pulls out smoothly and locks; the interior is complete with its secret locking drawers, and is not missing any sections.

The chest stands on its original bracket feet and incorporates the original backboards. The chest is well constructed, solid in joint, does not wobble and is ready to be used.

Object Details

Dealer Opening Times

We are open weekly as follows:

Monday
8:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
8:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
8:00 - 17:00
Thursday
8:00 - 17:00
Friday
8:00 - 17:00
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Dealer Contact

Telephone
+44 (0)1829 458 070
Mobile
+44 (0)7960 738 212
Web
Email

Dealer Location

Unit 4
Organsdale Farm
Kelsall
Tarporley
Cheshire
CW6 0SR
United Kingdom

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