Town guide / Wirral and Merseyside
Choosing an antique sideboard for a Birkenhead home
Birkenhead grew quickly in the nineteenth century, and many of its homes are Victorian terraces and tall townhouses. A sideboard for one of those rooms has to suit a chimney breast, a bay and a front door narrower than you remember.
i.
The houses
Around Hamilton Square and the streets near Birkenhead Park you find generous ceilings and long, formal rooms, while the terraces further out tend to have a front parlour with a recess either side of the fireplace. That recess is often where a sideboard goes, so its width matters most. Older suspended floors can also slope a little, which affects how a long piece sits.
ii.
Antique sideboards in that setting
Sideboards can be long, and many Victorian examples carry a tall mirrored or carved back. Measure the recess at skirting height, not just at eye level, and check the gap between the top of the piece and any picture rail. Ask Sara whether the back comes off separately and what the depth is with the doors open, because the turn from hall to front room is usually the tightest point.
iii.
Buying from Caernarfon
Life: Full Colour has no branch on the Wirral; the business is in Caernarfon, reached along the A55 and A487.
Buying works the same way from anywhere: find a piece, ask Sara about it by the enquiry form or on 01286 400155, and buy through Creative Caernarfon.
Visiting and delivery
Life: Full Colour is based at 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon LL55 2PN. Ask Sara whether delivery or viewing is possible for a particular piece.
Antique sideboards listed on Creative Caernarfon
One-off pieces: ask Sara whether a listing is still available.
iv.
Questions for a Birkenhead buyer
It depends on the hall width, the turn into the front room and whether the back can be separated from the base. Measure the narrowest point, including the door frame and any radiator, then ask Sara for the depth and height of the carcass without its back before you commit.
A slight slope is common in older suspended floors. A long piece standing out of level can make doors swing open or bind. Small, discreet packing under the feet is the usual answer, rather than cutting anything down. Ask Sara about the condition of the feet on a specific piece, since worn or replaced feet affect how it settles.
Life: Full Colour is based at 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon. You can ask Sara whether a particular sideboard can be viewed, and request extra photographs of the drawers, back boards and joints. Questions can go through the enquiry form or to 01286 400155, and purchases complete through Creative Caernarfon.
Not exactly, but a little space either side looks better than a tight squeeze. Leave a few centimetres so it can be moved and the doors can swing. Remember that the skirting board may hold the back away from the wall, so measure at floor level as well as at the top.
Only if the total height clears it. Measure from the floor to the underside of the rail, then compare that with the full height of the sideboard including any mirror or carved back. If the back comes off, ask Sara what the height is without it.
A bay's angled sides rarely suit a flat-backed piece, which tends to sit across the front and leave awkward gaps. A flat wall is generally easier. If a bay is the only option, measure the width straight across and check any radiators first.
Generous ceilings and long walls can carry a substantial sideboard well, and a small one may look lost. Measure the wall and ceiling height, then check that the sideboard leaves comfortable space for people to pass in front of it.
The skirting board is usually the cause, as the back of the piece cannot slide past it. Allow that extra depth when measuring. Some sideboards also have a plinth, which makes the base deeper than the top, so measure both.
Check clear floor in front with the doors and drawers fully open, since a sideboard is used every day. Standing it opposite the window or fireplace often keeps the walkway free. Measure the narrowest point of the room first, then compare it with the sideboard's depth.
A tall back adds weight at the top, so fixing it to the wall is a sensible safeguard, particularly where the floor is not perfectly level. A small bracket at the back is usually enough. If the back comes off separately, ask Sara how it is held on.