These are not rare objects. So many old beds are either in poor condition, messed about with or are so elaborate you would spend most beds your time antique the brass. They were cheap to make, washable and could be easily moved on their castors to allow for thorough bedroom cleaning. Beds a time when killer diseases were rife and child mortality rates were high, this was a godsend. Birmingham manufacturers made most English beds, including the celebrated manufacturer Hoskins and Sewell which made beds for the Titanic.
All things Victorian became unpopular after the First World War and wooden beds regained popularity again. If you want a Victorian bed that retains it originality and fits in with your period home, look out for the following. All antique iron beds originally had either wooden or porcelain castors. Unfortunately, many antique dealers cut these off in the s as they left marks on bedroom carpets. Newsflash — iron bed posts without castors will still make carpet marks! The modern buyer likes perfection.
Therefore, many dealers overs the years have replaced dented knobs on old beds to make a higher profit. Some beds I have seen have had all their brass fittings replaced.
In my opinion, dating a Victorian bed with new brass fittings defeats the object of having an antique bed. New brass can beds be thin and tinny to the touch, too iron in beds and lacks character.
However, the mattress sits a lot closer to the ground — around eight inches on a French bed compared to around 15 inches on an English bed. Country to Coast has a huge range of go here you can buy unrestored dating restored. Want to do it yourself? Badly chipped or flaky paintwork will need to be shot blasted iron a better finish.
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If not, fill any minor chips with filler, give it a good rubdown and spray it with dating all in iron metal paint like Hammerite. Be prepared to use a lot of spray antique if you are changing the colour radically like my bed photographed above!
My article on marbling, woodgraining and linoleum discusses the Victorian love of paint effects. I recreated the gold detail on my bed, including dating gold collars on the posts using masking tape and gold spray.
However, the middle-classes often opted for white enamel beds in the s and s when bedroom furniture in this finish was fashionable. The mattress height of the rail is The bed was in terrible shape, but I am determined to get the bed back to an amazing state.
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I am going to assume magazines and newspapers had the ads, but are there true bound dating schweiz style catalogs? Hi Carrie, there were many manufacturers of these beds in the Victorian period. Keep a look out on Ebay and there are suppliers of replacement parts. Good luck. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Iron beds became the preserve of the hospital setting until the s Victorian revival.
The Victorian brass and iron bed — what to look out for If click here want a Victorian bed that retains it originality and fits in with your period home, look out for the following.
How To Determine Age Of An Antique Metal Bed Frame
Castors All antique iron beds originally had either wooden or porcelain castors. Replacement brass fittings The modern buyer likes perfection. Replaced sidebars Look antique for altered sidebars. Unfortunately, this was done badly antique meant the bed stood crooked.
So be warned! The Victorian brass and iron bed — how to restore. Please follow iron like us:. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Get new posts by email.