Town guide / Cheshire market towns
A blanket chest for a Frodsham home
Frodsham stretches along a broad main street at the foot of Overton Hill, where the Sandstone Trail begins and the views open out across the Mersey estuary.
i.
The houses
Local sandstone turns up in cottages and walls across the town, alongside Georgian and Victorian houses on and around Main Street and later homes climbing the hillside. Older stone cottages can hold cold and some damp in their walls, while newer houses run warm and dry. Neither rules out a solid chest, but both affect where it should go.
ii.
Blanket chests in that setting
A blanket chest is a lidded chest made to keep bedding and clothes, sometimes with one or two drawers in its base. It is low, so it suits a landing, a bedroom window or the end of a bed, and it is one of the easier antiques to carry upstairs. Ask Sara for the depth and the height with the lid fully raised, and whether the chest has drawers below.
No.07
Mule chest
- Period
- Vintage, as listed
Priced on Creative Caernarfon. Ask Sara whether it is still here.
Photographed in the collection, Plate 07
Nautical Mule Chest
A painted mule chest with a sailing ship on the lid and two drawers below the well.
One-off. Ask whether it is still available.
Ask Sara about this pieceiii.
Buying from Caernarfon
Frodsham is close to junction 12 of the M56, and from there Chester and the A55 lead west towards Caernarfon, home of Life: Full Colour. There is no branch in the town.
Buying works the same way from anywhere: find a piece, ask Sara about it by the enquiry form or on 01286 400155, and buy through Creative Caernarfon.
Visiting and delivery
Life: Full Colour is based at 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon LL55 2PN. Ask Sara whether delivery or viewing is possible for a particular piece.
Blanket chests listed on Creative Caernarfon
One-off pieces: ask Sara whether a listing is still available.
iv.
Questions for a Frodsham buyer
The words overlap. Coffer is often used for older, panelled oak chests, while blanket chest commonly describes later lidded chests made for bedding; one with drawers beneath is often called a mule chest. Usage varies between dealers and regions, so ask Sara how a particular piece was made.
Usually not, provided the chest has air around it. Stand it a little away from a cold outside wall, avoid setting it straight onto a stone floor that stays damp, and let the room ventilate. If a wall is visibly damp, deal with that first. Oak and pine both prefer stable conditions.
At the foot of a bed, on a wide landing, under a window or in a hallway as a seat. Measure the space with the lid open as well as closed, so the chest can be used without shifting other furniture. Ask Sara for the exact dimensions of any chest that interests you.
Fill in the form on lifefullcolour.uk or call Sara on 01286 400155. You can ask for photographs of the interior, lid and hinges, and for the measurements of the chest. Ask Sara whether delivery is possible for that piece, and mention roughly where you are. Purchases complete through Creative Caernarfon.
It can. The risk is a heavy lid dropping on small fingers, so check that the lid stays up when raised, or let children use it only with an adult nearby. Lay a cotton sheet inside to protect the wood from hard toys.
Many coffers and blanket chests served as seats as well as storage, and a sturdy one with a framed top will take a person sitting. Check that the lid is sound and the hinges secure, and add a cushion. Do not sit on a thin, split or carved lid.
A Coffer-bach is a small coffer, often with a drawer or two beneath, suited to papers, linen and smaller belongings rather than bedding. A blanket chest is bigger and made for bedding and linen. Choose by what you will store: a Coffer-bach for odds and ends, a blanket chest for blankets.
A mule chest has drawers below the well, so you can reach small things without lifting the lid and emptying the chest. Use the drawers for socks and scarves, and the well for blankets. The drawers do need clear floor in front, so allow room to pull them out.
A clean cotton sheet or acid-free tissue between wood and linen is enough. Avoid plastic bags, which trap damp, and do not pack the chest so tightly that air cannot move. Open the lid now and then in dry weather to air it, especially in the cooler months.
It can, if the height suits. Measure from the floor to the top of the lid and compare it with your mattress. Keep a lamp and a cup on a mat, and remember the lid needs clear space to rise, so a heavy lamp may sit awkwardly on it.
Yes, a lidded chest gives you a seat and storage together. Wet boots belong on a tray rather than on bare wood, and damp coats should stay out of the well to avoid mildew. Ask Sara about the lid and hinges, as a hall chest is opened often.