Coffer & stand

This coffer and stand is the only known complete survivor from a set of four originally made between 1831 and 1841 for the Scarlet Drawing Room in Lansdown Tower where it served as both an integral part of the interior scheme, and as a treasure chest housing items from BeckfordÂ’s collection. The coffer and stand were probably designed by Beckford and the architect Henry Edmund Goodridge. They are superb examples of the architectonic furniture created for the Tower that combined historical inspirations with modern forms. Lansdown Tower (now more commonly known as BeckfordÂ’s Tower) was built 1826-7 as a study and retreat for Beckford, who would daily ride just over a mile up to the Tower from his home in Lansdown Crescent. Designed by the architect Henry Edmund Goodridge, the Tower has been recognised as one of the most significant British buildings of the 1820s, combining historical inspirations with modern forms.