Teacher's desk
Category
Furniture
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood and metal
Measurements
770 mm (width); 1050 mm (height); 630 mm (depth)
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 666808
Summary
This wooden teacher's desk has four straight legs, square in cross section, and two stretchers, one each side near the base of the legs. There is a slot cut near the middle of each stretcher on the top side which may have held a cross stretcher. The top working surface of the desk is hinged at the top and sloping. Behind the two hinges is a shelf surrounded by a low wooden wall on three sides. Beneath the bottom lip of the sloping desk top, a square hold is cut through the desk frame. A diamond shaped piece of metal with a large staple, as a hasp, is screwed on to the desk to the left of the hole. A rusted metal padlock with a square body and traces of black paint is affixed to the hasp. There is a single drawer, the full width of the desk, below the padlock. It has a brass coloured lock on the inside of the drawer and a battered key hole on the outside. The desk and drawer are covered in a crazed black finish, possibly varnish, chipped on the edges. The structure is held together with metal bolts and there are two splits in the right leg above the drawer. The interior is ink stained. Total number of items is 2.