About Us
For five decades of refurbishment and restoration in various forms including historic and listed buildings, vintage cars and classic river boats we are proud to have British Benches, a family run business that identifies, sources and in the main, restores British cast iron and wrought iron garden benches. It is run by Bob Stephenson, a retired architect and property developer in listed building restoration from his office on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire. He believes in a pragmatic and considered approach to restoration, combining careful salvage, historical accuracy and sustainable craftsmanship. The aim of the business is to rescue and preserve historic garden benches, giving these pieces of British heritage a new lease of life while retaining their original character.
Our Work
All the benches we source throughout the UK, are old classics, from mid to late 19th Century, Victorian, Edwardian and later, mid 20th Century benches that either need a fresh coat of paint or a full restoration. Occasionally, the odd antique piece may be left in its current state but always put up for sale in good condition. We have a great selection of benches and can supply them for suburban households, and city homes right through to country houses and historic estates. We have original benches from great foundries like Coalbrookdale, Carron and Boulton and Paul that we can fully restore or keep in their original state complete with rust and moss. All the benches are antique and most are heavy due to the quality of the iron used one hundred years ago. They are not reproduction, not lightweight modern alloy and not manufactured in quantity but are all individual, old, original garden seats, made in Britain, that have been saved and refurbished.
Our restoration service generally consists of stripping all loose material, preparing the metal and hand painting three coats of special metal paint to a specific RAL colour. Seating slats are always hardwood and made from Sapele, reclaimed English Oak and European Oak, all of which would last a generation or two if looked after. Sometimes, the hardwood is left with a square arris with a slight edge taken off but generally the slats are chamfered through the router. They are then finished with three coats of Danish oil or Osmo oil which are both UV protective and water resistant and fixed with stainless steel carriage bolts. Some of our benches have survived for more than four generations and now they are restored they will again last lifetimes. The restored benches are perfect for private city space gardens to parkland and larger landscaped areas.
British Benches is an independent restorer of authentic, historic castings and are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Coalbrookdale, Carron of Falkirk, Boulton & Paul or any other foundry or trademarked owners. All product names, logos and brands are the property of their respective owners.