Monks bench

A monks bench is a piece of furniture where a tabletop is set onto a chest in such a way that when the table was not in use, the top pivots to a vertical position and becomes the back of a Settle.[1][2]

This was a very useful form at a time when many homes had a large room used for multiple functions, because it allowed a large dining table to swing up and out of the way.

References

  1. ^ Lee E. Pearson (1957), Elizabethans at Home, Stanford University Press, 1957, ISBN 0804704945, 9780804704946. p. 39
  2. ^ Clive Carney, Furnishing art and practice, Oxford University Press, 1950. p. 97