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SCHOOL DESK
Relatively few of the simple and solidly constructed school desks of the 19th century have survived, but examples in good condition are to be cherished.
Mass education did not begin in Britain until the last quarter of the 19th century. The catalyst was Foster's Education Act of 1870, which charged local School Boards with building schools where there were too few and monitoring existing standards. In 1880, another act made attendance compulsory to the age of 10.
The familiar locker desk has been around for over a century. The 1885 catalogue of the North of England School Furnishing Company describes their large locker desks as being made 'entirely of wood, and being massive and highly finished, they are suitable for buildings of high character'.
STRONG AND HARD
The earliest school desks were simple and durable but were not particularly comfortable. They often followed a design that had previously been quite literally hammered out in a collaboration between the village blacksmith and the local joiner.
One of the most elementary desks was nothing more than a pine bench, perhaps with a hat shelf beneath, upon which five or so pupils would sit, with a pine plank desk surface that was supported by a pivoted iron arm at each end.
The pivoted arms allowed the desk top to be turned over to form a back rest for the bench.
A step up from this was the dual desk. This had a bench seat with a backrest, attached by runners to the end supports or standards of the desk surface.
Sometimes the desk top was angled to facilitate reading and there would be a foot rest running the width of the seat. This was a modification of an existing design, with cast-iron runners and backrest stays.
IMPROVED DESIGNS
Practical refinements to outdo other manufacturers included book ledges, perhaps faced with a board to prevent books falling off. Slate slots were cut into the hinge end of the desk's surface. Some tops were also bored out to take inkwells from the monitor's inkwell tray.
The move away from desks that sat two or more pupils to single-seat desks took place relatively slowly.
One company, in 1885, commented on the 'important educational and sanitary advantages resulting from the isolation of students when engaged in study'.
Soon, single-seat desks were being produced in a design that was to remain familiar to generations of schoolchildren.
The hinged desk top contained a locker section for books and papers and was made of such woods as oak or pine or beech.
In general, such desks were attached to seats by iron runners. Only specialist desks, such as art desks or those designed for masters, were freestanding with a separate seat.
School desks may bring back uncomfortable memories, but a well-made example will always provide a useful work surface. Stripped and freshly waxed, with its graffiti sanded down and a comfortable cushion added, the Victorian desk makes a fine addition to a study bedroom.
COLLECTOR'S NOTES
Relatively few old school desks survive today and they are hard to find in antiques shops and even in furniture warehouses. Despite being produced in their thousands, many were discarded en masse or allowed to fall into severe disrepair.
If found, however, these simple and appealing industrial products make a charming addition to any child's study area within the home.
With a little care and attention, old damaged examples can be successfully restored, and can be made into attractive pieces of furniture.
Glendenning's Adjustable Desk, the 'perfect instrument of education', was first patented in 1880. The desk locker could be moved closer to the seat or further away and the height of a spine pad on the back of the chair could be adjusted to fit each pupil.
A Dr Liebreich had stated that such ailments as short-sightedness, spinal curvature and flat chests were caused by poorly designed desks and that this model, combined as it was with Dr Roth's chair, would prevent such evils.
The Glendenning's represented a notable advance. Little account, if any, had previously been taken of the disparity in sizes between children, so practically all suffered some discomfort. With its adjustable locker the Glendenning's gave 6.25cm/2½in leeway either side of a central position.
LEADING COMPANIES
Early desks from most manufacturers were rarely marked with the maker's name, even though some items of school furniture carried names such as 'Invincible' and 'Imperial' that aptly reflected the tone of the age.
However, around the turn of the century, the North of England Schools Furnishing
Company and E J Arnold and Son Ltd took to identifying their products by inscribing the company name on a circular brass tablet.
Some school suppliers had started as office stationers and saw new opportunities, while others simply started afresh, but all had one objective - to make and sell desks and other pieces of school furniture as fast as the new schools demanded them.
In addition to the two companies named above, Illingworth, Ingham and Company, and George M Hammer and Company were businesses that developed a keen interest in the manufacture of school furniture.
Other names to look for include J W Bean and Son, McCorquodale and Company and the firm of William and Thomas May.
The Glendenning's Patent Adjustable Desk is made from pine, beech and iron. The sloped locker can be moved 1 2.5cm/Sin to or from the seat, has a hinged reading leaf and features an inkwell covered by a sliding brass plate.
Later models of the Glendenning's featured a folding copy rest and fixed foot boards, and also allowed vertical adjustment of both the seat and the locker.
The maker's name Colman & Glendenning - is inscribed on a brass tablet.
In 1883, the patent for this Glendenning's desk was renewed when the North of England Schools Furnishing Company gained exclusive rights to its manufacture, advertising it in their 1884 catalogue at 3 1/6d - less than a pint of beer in today's money.
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School Desk
