Furnishings in an English home become part of the family as they live long lives and hold many cherished memories. The marks, nicks, and scratches over time become part of the patina, capturing and echoing the moments of daily life.
This unusual chest of drawers or “cob chest” was owned by a very stylish gentleman called Mr. Lilly who lived on the island of Anglesey in Wales. He was a rakish, adventurous type in his youth, was much travelled, and had a very old-fashioned way about him with an electric wit.
Mr. Lilly’s walking cane, inscribed and inset with as he put it..."an emergency diamond". I think he would have been a rakish handful in his day!
- S. Orford
The chest originally came from his large country house estate and was moved to Anglesey in 1950 when the increase in property tax resulted in its demolition. It was in Mr. Lilly’s bedroom as a child and there were seven pieces to the suite, but this was the most useful with it having the doored cabinet, so it was saved. The carvings were wooden and not applied gesso, and the configuration unique having a single upper drawer on the right, leaving a surface for resting accessories to the left.
This unique chest became part of our collection at The Parson’s Nose Antiques coming to us from England, originally with little provenance. However, the keen eye of Stephen Orford of Anglesey Antiques in Anglesey, Wales, noticed the unique piece on our website and shared with us it’s history which we passed on to the new owners living just outside of Indianapolis. It is funny how Mr. Lilly’s chest settled here in the U.S. in the same spot as that of Eli Lilly of Lilly pharmaceutical fame. He mentioned that “as an adventurous sort, Mr. Lilly would be thrilled to know his "cob" chest had travelled far too!” and went on to provide some interesting history of the origin of “cob chest”: “Cob is a colloquial term for a big lump of furniture, notably in West Yorkshire.It originally referred to very early six plank boxes or sword chests often found in a cob house. A cob house is a workers cottage built from “cob” – mixed straw, horse manure and mud…lovely in the summer! These were basic first furniture c1500, but the term carries on in today’s language as it’s woven into Yorkshire-speak.As in Wales we have a coffer bach, Ireland has the dog dresser and Scotland a bothie box.”
Stephen recently shared with us that Mr. Lilly passed away this past Christmas 2024 aged 100 years.... "a good innings by anyone's standards.” The photograph below shows Hendre hall where Mr. Lilly’s chest lived with Stephen for 10 years. The second photo shows the chest leaving Anglesey on its massive journey.
The small Indiana town where the chest now resides has a downtown area that is peppered with 100+ year old Victorian homes and cottages. The new owners borrowed this look to create a beautiful home on 40 acres a few miles away from the downtown. Visitors are surprised to learn it is a new build and not renovated.
When we learned the history of the chest we shared it with the new owners. They told us that “Mr. Lilly’s cob chest, as it will always be known, sits proudly near my fireplace. It holds my linens and extra tableware. It is the perfect piece to add to the age and character of my home. I will treasure it always having the knowledge of its origin and because two very kind men took time from their business and life to share this with me.”
We thank both Stephen Orford of Anglesey and our wonderful customer in Indiana for letting us share this fun story.
Matt Anstett is based in Detroit, Michigan and is co-owner and co-founder of The Parson’s Nose Antiques and Stanwick & Co. He had been a scientist for more than three decades before retiring and joining Brad Stanwick full time at The Parson’s Nose Antiques in 2024.