From the gleaming brass bedstead in Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks to the utilitarian dormitory beds in the servants’ quarters of Downton Abbey, the metal bedstead exists in a multitude of guises. Today, patinated originals and Victorian and Edwardian-inspired reproductions continue to draw admiration – with each style emblematic of key points in our social history.
Ranging from opulent and exquisite, with elaborate and decorative elements, to simple and unadorned, the metal bedstead translates well into many interior styles.
Victorian beginnings
Until the late 18th century, the majority of beds had wooden frames. Hand-forged iron was sometimes used but it was the rapid developments in British metallurgy in the 1820s and 1830s – particularly the invention of metal tubing – that brought about a transformational impact
