Chamber stick
The Curious Chamberstick
A chamberstick is a wonderfully practical little object, and its name tells you almost exactly what it was for.
The word chamber was once commonly used for a bedroom, and a chamberstick was the candleholder you took with you when retiring for the night. Before electric lights, this was quite literally your portable bedroom light.
Unlike an ordinary candlestick, a chamberstick has a wide, built-in drip tray beneath the candle. This was not simply decorative. It caught the hot wax as the candle burned, preventing it from dripping over carpets, furniture and, presumably, the unfortunate person carrying it.
Most have a handle, allowing them to be carried safely from room to room, and many have a little snuffer or a socket for one. They were made in all sorts of materials and qualities, from simple brass examples to beautifully made pieces in silver.
There is something rather charming about the chamberstick. It is an object from a time when going to bed involved carrying a candle upstairs, rather than reaching for a light switch.
Small, practical and often beautifully made, it is a perfect example of how antique objects can tell us something about everyday life — even something as ordinary as going to bed.
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