View from a Bridgerton

They were the 18th-century version of a drinks trolley and now hunt tables are popular once again, partly due to Regency-period television dramas

- MELANIE CABLE-ALEXANDER

IF YOU were to identify a single piece of furniture that sums up the pomp – and romp – of the Regency era, celebrated in the popular Bridgerton Netflix series, look no further than the hunt table. This fine demilune side table on castors may have the appearance of a slightly overdressed mahogany wallflower as it resides primly tucked against the wall, but draw it into the room, remove its central sleeve and out will unfurl an object that contains all the relish and titillation of an observant Lady Whistledown. And it would have similar tales to tell, too, for this was a table around which to party.

Hunt tables are, as their name suggests, traditionally associated with the hunt. The English kinds “were a bit like the 18th-century equivalent of a drinks trolley”, says Nicholas Wells, who is one of the few UK dealers to have had one pass through his hands during the past few years at his shop in Piccadilly, a rare mahogany piece dating from 1820 attributed to the noted furniture maker Gillows, which made them fashionable at the time.

“After the hunt, the table would be wheeled somewhere near a fire and everyone would sit down or stand so they could grab a drink from one of two decanters that swung around the table on a brass arm and get their legs toasty,” says Wells. Often the tables were placed in hallways so the mud-splattered squires didn’t have to remove their boots.