Victorian Mahogany Dinner Table
At the beginning of 2001 a Victorian Mahogany Extending Dinner Table became available at auction, and the Friends made a successful bid on 6th February 2001.
The table required a significant amount of restorative work, which was undertaken by Lomas Pigeon & Co. Ltd (Chelmsford) over the forthcoming months.
The table has a total of 5 leaves, 6 turned and fluted legs complete with brass castors and two wind-out worm mechanisms.
To complete the table it was agreed to commission 24 reproduction mahogany shield back Prince of Wales chairs with hide seats hand finished to match the colour of the table.
Once the restoration work had been completed and the chairs had been made, the whole set was transported to Hylands House to be located in the Library.
The official presentation of the chairs and table to Chelmsford Borough Council took place on Sunday 4th November 2001, nine months after the initial purchase. The total value of the presentation, including the restoration of the table and the purchase of the chairs, was approximately £15,300 – a considerable sum.
The table and chairs can be viewed at Hylands House alongside all the other artefact donations made by the Friends of Hylands House. The table is now an integral part of the Library and is used on a regular basis, as it should be.
In addition to the table and chairs, the Friends also purchased a Victorian style easel during the end of 2001.
This relatively small item (compared to the table & chairs) was purchased with a very practical purpose in mind and is in use most days to display information and most importantly seating plans for dinners and wedding receptions.