Four Poster Beds

There are many stories concerning the origins of the four-poster bed. The best one regards Tudor times when most houses did not have corridors. People literally went from room to room. As you can imagine, this did little for the privacy of the occupants. So, along came the idea to add posts to the four corners of the bed, with poles running around the top. Curtains or tapestries were then hung from the poles, affording the occupants some privacy. Thus the four-poster bed was born.

Early four-posters had drapes but no top. The plaster used in Tudor times was of poor quality, often containing hair and straw to give it strength. Pieces of plaster often fell from the ceiling during the night, along with the various insects living in the plaster. So, to stop this, the next phase was born. A top was added to the posts, to protect the sleepers beneath. Originally, this was made from wood, but later on, material was also used. The wooden tops were called testers, and so the tester bed was born!

The posts, tester and headboard would have originally been plain, but as time passed, and people wanted to show off their wealth and standing, they grew ever more ornate. Some surviving beds are covered in the most fantastic carvings, some even depicting entire stories from the Bible, or scenes from classical mythology.

Today’s four-poster stands as a byword for luxury. Four poster beds come in a variety of heavy wood styles and which one you go for depends entirely on three requirements:
Space, space and space.

Because they are difficult to transport, difficult to maneuver and too heavy to move easily four-poster beds are reserved for rooms which have space and floor-strength requirements and are not likely to be re-designed every weekend.

This is one are where craftsmanship matters. If you decide to go for one buy the most expensive one you can afford. Find out how it’s made, what guarantees come with it and what type of wood has been used in its construction.

Four-poster beds are an investment. They tend to be passed on from one generation to the next so choose wisely and you will have gained not just a fantastic bed but also a valuable family heirloom.

	Name	Price
	"butterfly" 4-poster bed , 191cm, 201cm, 92, 99, 2065, 3ft, 4poster, additions, bedstead, butterfly, cream, design, elegant, endavailable, foot, garden, head, internal, lgth, mattress, metaleffect... Shop: Additions Direct	£79.00
	Arabella Four Poster Bed , antique, arabella, aspire, assembly, base, bed, bedframe, canopy, central, deep, double, dream, four, furniture, furniture123, gorgeous, h200cmplease, ideasfinish, itmes, kingdomthis, mattress, night, nights, of, pine, pinesizes, poster, rail, reach, re... Shop: Furniture123	£139.98
	Pine 4 Poster Bed , &, £16999, £19999, £25, £27999, £30, 14, 199cm, 24studio, 3ft, 781/4"e, address, assembled, bed, bedroom, beds, bunks, double, luxury, mattress, pine, poster, posts, sculptured, sent, single, solid, specified, sprung, tou... Shop: 24Studio	£194.99
	Pine 4 Poster Bed Single , &, £25, 14, 199cm, 24studio, 3ft, address, assembled, bed, bedroom, beds, bunk, delivery, double, homestyles, luxury, mattress, pine, poster, posts, sculptured, sent, single, solid, specified, sprung, touch... Shop: 24Studio	£194.99
	Princess 4 Poster Single Bed Offer , £25, 14, 24studio, 3ft, address, assembly, bed, bedroom, beds, delivery, fold, homestyles, interior, mattress, metal, poster, sent, single, specified, sprung, sturdy, tubular... Shop: 24Studio	£204.99
	Pine 4 Poster Bed , £17999, £19999, £27999, £30, £35, 14, 199cm, 24studio, 3ft, address, assembled, bed, bedroom, beds, double, living, luxury, mattress, modern, pine, poster, posts, sculptured, sent, single, solid, specified, sprung, touch... Shop: 24Studio	£209.99
	Pine 4 Poster Bed Double , &, £19999, £25, £27999, £30, 14, 199cm, 24studio, 3ft, address, assembled, bed, bedroom, beds, bunk, double, homestyles, luxury, mattress, pine, poster, posts, sculptured, sent, single, solid, specified, sprung, touch... Shop: 24Studio	£224.99
	white four poster bed , assembly, base, bed, blooming, curtains, detach, four, machine, mainland, marvellous, poster, posts, rooms, self, single, slatted, uk, voile, washable... Shop: Blooming Marvellous	£249.99
	four poster bed , 182hcm, 90wx190lx, assembly, bed, beds, curtains, detach, four, machine, mainland, marvellous, mini, painted, poster, posts, princess, rooms, self, single, uk, voile, washable, wooden... Shop: Mini Marvellous	£249.99
	"Manhattan" 4-poster bedstead , 105, 151, 166, 201cms, 208cms, 210cms, 25cms, 3ft, 4ft, 5ft, 60cms, 6in, 88cms, additions, alloy, base, bed, black, contemporary, design, endcaps, floor, foot, garden, head, mesh, metal, posts... Shop: Additions Direct	£259.00
	TORANO Four Poster Bed. , 90, 100, 140, 150, 160, 170, 210, 215, acacia, ampm, assembly, base, bed, bedroom, classically, cm, contemporary, dark, double, four, furniture, instructions, king, la, mattress, natural, poster, redoute, single, sleek, solid, stained, streamlined, stru... Shop: La Redoute	£305.00
	Original Bedstead Company Doune Four-Poster Bedstead , 062, 0845, 2233, adjustable, assembly, base, bases, beauty, bed, bedframe, bedroomthe, bedstead, beech, bold, calling, chic, classic, coil, comfort, committed, company, complement, contemporary, created, customer, defies, department, design, divan, doub... Shop: Furniture123	£309.98
	Aspace Beulah Four Poster Bed , aspace, heal, son... Shop: Heal & Son	£445.50
	Star Collection- Newhaven 4ft 6in Double 4 Poster Bedstead , &, appeal, bed, bedroom, beds/double, beds/wooden, bedstead, bronzelook, clean, coating, collection, committed, contemporary, continual, craftsmen, created, customer, customers, dark, designers, designs, discerning, draws, enriched, exception, final,... Shop: Bed Star	£495.00
	Victoria 4-Poster Single Bed , 3ft, 4poster, adore, bed, bedroom, beds, castlewith, chamfered, chat, childrens, close, company, cream, delicate, detailing, drapes, elegantly, fairlytale, fit, friends, furniture, girl, it's, later, legs, little, magical, magnificent, necessary, pin... Shop: The Childrens Furniture Company	£495.00
	Victoria 4-Poster Double Bed , 3ft, 4poster, adore, bed, bedroom, beds, castlewith, chamfered, chat, childrens, close, company, cream, delicate, detailing, drapes, elegantly, fairlytale, fit, friends, furniture, girl, it's, later, legs, little, magical, magnificent, necessary, pin... Shop: The Childrens Furniture Company	£550.00
	Star Collection- Newhaven 5ft Kingsize 4 Poster Bedstead , &, appeal, bed, bedroom, beds/wooden, bedstead, bronzelook, clean, coating, collection, committed, contemporary, continual, craftsmen, created, customer, customers, dark, designers, designs, discerning, draws, enriched, exception, final, furniture, f... Shop: Bed Star	£645.00
	Original Bedstead Company Rannoch Four-Poster Bedstead , 062, 0845, 2233, adjustable, antique, antiqued, assembly, base, bases, beautiful, beauty, bed, bedframe, bedroom, bedstead, beech, black, brass, called, calling, castings, centrepiece, class, coil, comfort, committed, company, complement, constructed, c... Shop: Furniture123	£679.98
	Marseilles Four Poster Bed , 062, 0845, 2233, 2233the, adding, ageing, alternative, antique, antiquing, appeal, appearance, authentic, base, bed, bedframe, bedthere, begins, brown, byword, can't, character, charm, coats, corners, cured, curtains, customer, customers, d205cm, d21... Shop: Furniture123	£949.98
	John Lewis Hotel 4-Poster Bed, Double , &, 5star, alder, bedroom, beds, bedstead, beech, chic, comfortable, dark, decadent, finisha, fusing, garden, john, lavish, lewis, plush, slats, smart, solids, sprung, stained, support, veneers, wonderfully, wood... Shop: John Lewis	£950.00
	Revival Chatsworth Four-Poster Bed , 062, 0845, 1820’s, 2233, 2233have, adding, ageing, alternative, antique, antiquing, appeal, appearance, assembly, authentic, base, bed, bedframe, begins, brown, can't, character, charm, chatsworth, classical, coats, corners, country, craftsmen,... Shop: Furniture123	£955.98
	Revival Orleans Four-Poster Bed , 062, 0845, 2233, 2233is, adding, addition, ageing, alternative, antique, antiquing, appeal, appearance, assembly, authentic, base, beams, beauty, bed, bedframe, bedroom, begins, brown, can't, carvings, character, charm, coats, corners, creamfrench, c... Shop: Furniture123	£1002.98
	Revival Ambassador Four-Poster Bed , 062, 0845, 2233, 2233wow, 6inch, adding, ageing, alternative, ambassador, antique, antiquing, appeal, appearance, assembly, authentic, base, bed, bedframe, bedroom, begins, brown, can't, character, charm, coats, columns, corners, creamfrench, cue, cu... Shop: Furniture123	£1279.98