Grain ark
Category
Furniture
Date
1600 - 1700
Materials
Oak
Measurements
1245 x 2110 x 840 mm
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East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire
NT 201170
Summary
Storage chest or grain ark. Made of oak planks and wooden pegged joints. On raised legs with curved lid made of three planks. Horizontal pivot peg hinge. No lock plate, but hasp fixed to inside of lid. Probably one of the 'great arkes' i.e. grain storage chests (also known as grain hutches in lowland England) listed in the 1662 East Riddlesden inventory. Believed to be the only signficant item left in the house when given to the National Trust in 1934. Raised legs helped deter vermin and the curved lid traditionally said to be reversible for use as a trough for kneeding bread dough. Whole chest can be dismantled for storage and ease of moving.
Provenance
Believed to have been on site at time of transfer to National Trust in 1934.