Pine is equally popular and the current choice of pine Wellington Chests includes everything from decoratively-styled Victorian to neat, modern-style Wellington chests. Creative or adventurous types love our rustic Wellington chests and distressed Wellington Chests in pine, while lovers of rich, warm colours go for the dark wood Wellington Chests on offer. For something different, our ash Wellington Chests offer hardwood furniture in smart, light colours and represent great value for money.
The original Wellington chests were part of a collection of campaign furniture used by the officers of Wellington's army. They would have been made of hardwood, typically mahogany, with hinged side bars that would have locked in place to stop drawers opening during transit.
The Wellington Chest todayToday any tall narrow chest is referred to as a Wellington and we offer this selection from our ranges of bedroom furniture. You may also wish to consider items in our
Chest of Drawers and
Bedsides categories.
Campaign furniture and the Duke of WellingtonThe Wellington chest gained its name from the first Duke of Wellington. Fans of the Richard Sharpe series of books and television programmes will be familiar with the way in which the British and other armies operated at around the time of the Peninsula War (1807 - 1814). Officers tried to bring the comforts of home with them but during long campaigns found they had to be ready to move location quickly. Clearly moving around the country with conventional furniture was not practical, so various designs of tough, compact types of furniture were produced and known collectively as Campaign Furniture.
The Duke of Wellington was a national hero and the particular style of chest of drawers associated with his campaigns became known as the Wellington chest. Usually they would be made of the toughest, most rot-resistant timber available (especially mahogany) and have corners and other vulnerable points strengthened with brass or metal cappings. A common feature was a hinged flap or similar arrangement that could be fastened shut to prevent the contents being spilled out during transit.
Campaign furniture continued to develop and evolved into some very stylish, attractive pieces. The name Wellington chest is today applied to any type of tall narrow chest of drawers usually having 5 or more drawers. At Right Price Furniture we offer Wellington chests in a variety of materials and styles.