William IV

William IV – the short reign of William IV (1830 – 1837) marked the transition period between the Regency style which had been an age of innovation based on revivalist styles inspired by ancient Egypt, Greek and Roman designs and the Victorian era.

William IV furniture maintained a similar style to Regency furniture with copies being made using the earlier Regency designs, but they were executed in a coarser and heavier way, resulting in a clumsier appearance than their Regency counterparts.

The popular pieces of the period included tilt top dining tables, sofa tables, drum tables, card tables and pillared extendable tables. Sideboards were also in vogue. Typical decoration was heavy brass fittings with lion’s paw feet on table legs. Chairs often had sabre legs at the back with stumpy bulbous turned legs at the front. The rope twisted carved back also found favour. Exotic woods such as rosewood and zebrawood also found their way into furniture and cabinet making.

With the Industrial Revolution picking up pace, furniture making started to be more automated with the use of mechanisation. The period gave way to the romanticism of the Victorians, but furniture from this period remains much in demand today.