William IV Pitch Pine Chest of drawers

£365.00
sold out

A stunning William IV Pitch Pine chest of drawers, recently restored and in fabulous condition.

Anyone know how/why Pitch Pine, a timber grown in North America, arrived in the UK and was used so widely in church's (for pews) and grand houses ?

The answer isn't just it's wider planks, more durable material that woodworm couldn't eat...the answer has something to do with a particular episode of our social history..

W 115cm

D 55cm

H 105cm

The social history element of Pitch Pine?

It was imported to the UK from the Baltic regions starting in the 16th century and also from North America in the 17th, 18th & 19th Centuries when slave ships returned from North America to Europe and the UK with cotton - they needed ballast to add weight to the ships to make the journey smoother. So added Pitch Pine trees as it was heavy, plentiful resilient, surviving the long trip.

Not a nice part of social history, but important not to ignore or forget.

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A stunning William IV Pitch Pine chest of drawers, recently restored and in fabulous condition.

Anyone know how/why Pitch Pine, a timber grown in North America, arrived in the UK and was used so widely in church's (for pews) and grand houses ?

The answer isn't just it's wider planks, more durable material that woodworm couldn't eat...the answer has something to do with a particular episode of our social history..

W 115cm

D 55cm

H 105cm

The social history element of Pitch Pine?

It was imported to the UK from the Baltic regions starting in the 16th century and also from North America in the 17th, 18th & 19th Centuries when slave ships returned from North America to Europe and the UK with cotton - they needed ballast to add weight to the ships to make the journey smoother. So added Pitch Pine trees as it was heavy, plentiful resilient, surviving the long trip.

Not a nice part of social history, but important not to ignore or forget.

A stunning William IV Pitch Pine chest of drawers, recently restored and in fabulous condition.

Anyone know how/why Pitch Pine, a timber grown in North America, arrived in the UK and was used so widely in church's (for pews) and grand houses ?

The answer isn't just it's wider planks, more durable material that woodworm couldn't eat...the answer has something to do with a particular episode of our social history..

W 115cm

D 55cm

H 105cm

The social history element of Pitch Pine?

It was imported to the UK from the Baltic regions starting in the 16th century and also from North America in the 17th, 18th & 19th Centuries when slave ships returned from North America to Europe and the UK with cotton - they needed ballast to add weight to the ships to make the journey smoother. So added Pitch Pine trees as it was heavy, plentiful resilient, surviving the long trip.

Not a nice part of social history, but important not to ignore or forget.