This wonderful washtub bench/stand patented by Beatty Bros in 1923 has found it's way over to the UK from Fergus, Ontario. These tub benches were used in the promotion of Beatty's electric washers as an extra incentive to buy. It is sturdily made with 4 metal wheels, galvanised brackets and solid wood. It has text embossed into each side ‘Beatty Bros. Limited, Fergus, Canada’ and ‘BT TUB BENCH Patented 1923'. A previous owner has had the idea of adding a glass top to it to use as a coffee table and has spared no expense in the type of glass bought. It is a very solid heavy piece of toughened glass being 1 cm deep (see photo 5) which overlaps the wooden base.
The tub bench can be folded flat if necessary by unscrewing the butterfly screws under the top of the wooden slats which release the metal rods and allow the legs to fold flat at the hinges.
It is a great statement piece as well as having a practical use.
This wooden wash bench has survived years of laundry use and being dispatched overseas and yet still looks good enough to enhance your home. The wood has been cleaned and treated with wood restorer. It still has a few splashes of blue paint on it which adds character. The metal brackets and wheels have a lovely patina to them. The wheels are a little stiff to move but that means that the coffee table is more secure and less mobile. The glass is in a very good condition with minimal minor surface scratches.
The coffee table measures W:120cm x D:50cm x H:48cm. The wash bench without the glass measures W:107cm x D:40cm x H46cm.