Skip to main content

English Secretary

to
41
452
38
499
6
148
30
13
5
5
3
2
2
1
1
151
260
86
6
38
19
5
9
1
2
5
1
3
2
3
429
224
131
116
97
453
442
398
14
13
505
502
502
3
3
1
1
1
Sort By
English Secretary
Located in Seattle, WA
English Secretary.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

18thC/19thC ENGLISH SECRETARY
Located in Atlanta, GA
18thC/19thC ENGLISH SECRETARY
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

English Secretary Desk
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An 18th century English burl walnut secretary. The upper section has solid mirrored doors and
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Antique English Secretary/Bookcase
Located in New Orleans, LA
18th century English George III mahogany secretary/bookcase.
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English secretary/bookcase
Located in New Orleans, LA
Early 18th century George I walnut secretary/bookcase. Circa 1720
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier British Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

A Fine English Secretary Bookcase in Mahogany by Gillows
By Gillows of Lancaster London
Located in Woodbury, CT
An impressive mahogany Gillows secretary bookcase with dentil crown molding over glazed doors with
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier British Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

19thC English Mahogany Secretary
Located in Baltimore, MD
A 19thC English Secretary/Bookcase. Slant top desk with red leather writing surface features a
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Metal

Secretary English slant front with glass doors
Located in Stamford, CT
Offered here is a mid-19th century English secretary with three glass doors to useful shelves for
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

English painted secretary
Located in Atlanta, GA
English painted secretary from the 19th C. Top and bottom doors open to shelves, middle desk
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

English Butler s Secretary
Located in Athens, GA
English Butler's secretary in dark mahogany with inlay stringing on each drawer and around the top
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Mahogany Secretary
Located in Middleburg, VA
ENGLISH MAHOGANY FALL FRONT DESK WITH ASSOCIATED BOOKCASE - THESE CAN EITHER BE PURCHASED TOGETHER
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Glass, Leather

English Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Norwalk, CT
Black lacquered with gilt figural and landscape decoration, the broken pediment top with carved and gilt palmette finial. The double doors open to a red lacquered interior with gilt...
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Antique English mahogany secretary.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English mahogany secretary. Satinwood banded.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English mahogany secretary
Located in New Orleans, LA
18th century English mahogany secretary. Secret compartment. Georgian.
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Secretaire / Butler s Secretary
Located in Hinsdale, IL
English Secretaire (often refered to as a Butler's Secretary in this country) with original
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Regency Secretary Bookcase
Located in Athens, GA
English Regency secretary bookcase with fine inlaid interior pigeon holes in satinwood, inlaid
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Regency Secretary Bookcase
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An elegant English mahogany secretary bookcase from the Regency period, c. 1815, with fine dental
Category

Antique 19th Century English Regency Secretaires

Materials

Brass

English Victorian Secretary Bookcase
Located in Miami, FL
English Victorian burl walnut and oak secretary bookcase; the two door glass bookcase over a slant
Category

Antique 19th Century English Victorian Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Glass

English Georgian Secretary Bookcase
Located in Athens, GA
English Georgian secretary bookcase, circa 1800, with fine oval inlays of light crotched mahogany
Category

Antique Late 18th Century English Georgian Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Georgian Mahogany Secretary
Located in Kensington, MD
A fine English George III mahogany secretary, circa 1770. The upper case with a dentil molded
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier British Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Style Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Fairhope, AL
Red, gold and black hand-painted chinoiserie lacquered secretary or bookcase with a fitted interior
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Secretaires

English Chippendale Secretary Bookcase
Located in Chamblee, GA
This lovely small mahogany Chippendale style secretary has beautiful fretwork and molding on the
Category

20th Century English Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Bronze

Antique English Georgian mahogany secretary.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English Georgian mahogany secretary.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English Georgian mahogany secretary
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English Georgian mahogany secretary
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English Renaissance Revival Oak Secretary
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th century, English Renaissance Revival oak secretary.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Renaissance Revival Secretaires

Materials

Oak

English, mahogany slant-top secretary
Located in New York, NY
English, mahogany slant-top secretary bookcase, Ca.1800
Category

Antique 19th Century English Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English Walnut Secretary/Bookcase
Located in New Orleans, LA
Early 18th century English George I walnut secretary/bookcase.
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

English Sheraton Two-Part Secretary
Located in Los Angeles, CA
English Sheraton Two-Part Secretary in a rare small size
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Cabinets

English Regency Inlaid Bookcase Secretary
Located in Natchez, MS
Period English Regency Inlaid Secretary Bookcase slant front and bracket feet with a shaped top and
Category

Antique 19th Century English Regency Secretaires

Materials

Wood

English 19th Century Mahogany Secretary
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An English mahogany secretary comprised of two parts. The top case has a nice overhanging molding
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

18th Century English Mahogany Secretary
Located in Wilson, NC
18th century English mahogany Secretary, with the frieze having blind fretwork. The cornice has
Category

Antique 1780s English Secretaires

Materials

Brass

English Georgian Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in Natchez, MS
Late 18th c slant front mahogany secretary. Georgian with what appear to be original hardware. Nice
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Francis Elkins English Japanned Secretary
Located in Lake Forest, IL
A late 18th Century Lacquered Slant Front Bevelled Mirrored Secretary with later refreshed Japanned
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Oak, Paint

English 18th Century Walnut Secretary
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a very pretty secretary featuring burl walnut veneer crossbanded in walnut on the slope
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

English George III Mahogany Secretary
Located in New York, NY
Mahogany secretary with partridge wood stringing detail. Lower cabinet interior contains press
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English George III Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English George III Secretary Bookcase
Located in Bantam, CT
A fine quality English neoclassical mahogany cylinder bureau bookcase with astragal glazed doors
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Neoclassical Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English mahogany secretary. George III.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English mahogany secretary. George III.
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

English George III Chinoiserie Lacquered Secretary
Located in Natchez, MS
English George III Chinoiserie Red Lacquered Secretary
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Georgian Secretaires

Hand-Painted English Red Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Stamford, CT
Exceptional hand-painted English red chinoiserie secretary with mirrored doors and multiple hidden
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Chinoiserie Secretaires

Materials

Mirror

18th Century English Colonial Secretary Bookcase
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A late 18th century English Colonial sun-faded mahogany fall-front secretary bookcase with teak
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Asian Secretaires

English Regency Secretary Desk and Bookcase
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An extremely elegant and beautifully proportioned secretary bookcase made of sun faded mahogany
Category

Antique Early 1800s British Secretaires

Materials

Brass

English Regency Brass Inlaid Secretary Desk
Located in Salisbury, Wiltshire
Regency brass inlaid secretary desk This Regency brass inlaid secretaire desk was made circa 1820
Category

Antique 1810s English Regency Desks

Materials

Rosewood

Antique English George III mahogany secretary/bookcase.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English George III mahogany secretary/bookcase.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English George III mahogany inlaid secretary.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English George III mahogany inlaid secretary.
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Carved Rosewood 19th Century English Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Morristown, NJ
Carved Rosewood 19th Century English Chinoiserie Secretary.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Rosewood

Antique English Georgian Style Secretary Bookcase Mahogany
Located in Houston, TX
Antique English Georgian style mahogany secretary bookcase with cross banding to drawers and doors
Category

Antique 19th Century British Georgian Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

18th Century English Red Chinoiserie Secretary Bookcase
Located in Natchez, MS
18th century English George III Secretary Bookcase with molded paneled doors over slant front and
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English George III Secretaires

An English Chinese Lacquer Fall Front Secretary
Located in New York, NY
A Chinese Lacquer Fall Front Secretary Decorated with Chinese Scenes in Gold. Made for the English
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier Chinese Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

ENGLISH WILLIAM AND MARY WALNUT-VENEERED SECRETARY
Located in San Francisco, CA
A STATUESQUE ENGLISH WILLIAM AND MARY WALNUT-VENEERED AND INLAID FALL FRONT SECRETARY. The
Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires

Superb 19th Century English Bamboo Secretary Bookcase
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
English bamboo secretary bookcase, late 19th century, with a peaked spindled crown over two glazed
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Bamboo

19th Century English Red Chinoiserie Laquered Secretary Bookcase
Located in Natchez, MS
Late 19th c. English Red Laquered Chinoiserie Secretary Bookcase with incised mirrored doors and
Category

Antique 19th Century English Georgian Secretaires

English George III Style Green Lacqured Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An English mid 19th century George III style secretary desk in an unusual green lacquer with
Category

Antique 19th Century British George III Secretaires

Early 19th c. English Regency Mahogany Secretary/Bookcase
Located in Atlanta, GA
Early 19thC English Regency Mahogany Secretary/Bookcase An Atlanta Resource for Fine Antiques We
Category

20th Century Secretaires

Late 18th Century English Chinoiserie Decorated Secretary Desk
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An elegant late 18th C. English scarlet lacquer and chinoiserie decorated blind-door secretary
Category

Antique 1770s English George III Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Late 18th Century English Burl Walnut Secretary Desk
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An elegant late 18th C. English burl walnut secretary desk with domed bonnet over two blind doors
Category

Antique Late 18th Century English George II Secretaires

Materials

Burl, Walnut

English Yew Wood Secretaire Secretary Bookcase Butlers Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
period reproduction. Every aspect of this English-made secretary desk, from the techniques used to the
Category

2010s English Georgian Secretaires

Materials

Yew

An English George III Mahogany Bureau Bookcase Secretary
Located in Woodbury, CT
A George III mahogany bureau secretary with glazed doors, carved cornice and waist molding on a
Category

Antique 19th Century British George III Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

  • 1
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "English Secretary", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.

English Secretary For Sale on 1stDibs

Find many varieties of an authentic English secretary available at 1stDibs. Each English secretary for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, mahogany and metal. If you’re shopping for an English secretary, we have 224 options in-stock, while there are 1 modern editions to choose from as well. Your living room may not be complete without an English secretary — find older editions for sale from the 18th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. An English secretary is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in Georgian, Regency and Victorian styles are sought with frequency. A well-made English secretary has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by Bevan Funnell Ltd. and Nathan Furniture are consistently popular.

How Much is an English Secretary?

Prices for an English secretary start at $970 and top out at $88,500 with the average selling for $8,050.

Finding the Right Secretaires for You

Your antique, new or vintage secretary desk has become the (chic) saving grace of the "new normal" at home.

Simply put, a secretary desk is a multifunctional piece of furniture with a hinged writing surface that folds open or drops down. When the leaf is folded out, small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — are revealed.

Traditionally, a secretary is composed of two parts — a chest of drawers on the bottom and a cabinet with shelves on the top. Taking its name from the French word for the piece, secrétaire, the secretary desk dates back to the 18th century, when Paris-based cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, known for his exquisite marquetry and clever mechanical desks, is thought to have invented the secrétaire à abbattant, or drop-leaf desk.

While the defining drop-down feature of the secretary desk has remained constant, the materials used, as well as its configuration, size and style have evolved over time.

At first, secretaries were typically made from exotic woods, like rosewood, tulipwood and kingwood; later, hardwoods like cherry, maple, oak and mahogany were more common. The desks also became lighter, with space carved out of the lower half for the writer’s feet or with drawers replaced by legs — making them more table-like.

When open, the secretary is a dynamic, versatile Wunderkammer. When closed, it’s a sophisticated, space-saving piece of furniture.

“A fine secretary with a good provenance adds stature and credence to its owner — it is a cornerstone piece,” says antiques dealer Stanley Weiss, who specializes in 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture. “In this disposable world, fine furniture is always passed on and speaks to who its owner is.”

No matter what style or period you choose, and no matter how you decide to use it, the timeless, flexible secretary desk is bound to become an indispensable part of your daily routine.

Browse a range of antique and vintage secretary desks on 1stDibs, including mid-century modern secretaires, Georgian secretaires and others.

Read More

37 Cheerful Home Bars, Where Everybody (Literally) Knows Your Name

Simple or sophisticated, equipped with console, cart or custom cabinetry, these stylish bar areas deserve a toast.

The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home

Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.

What Exactly Is a Secretary Desk, and What Is It Used For?

The furniture equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, it's the multifunctional piece you didn't know you needed.

This Shelving System with Oxidized Brass Tubes Is Retro and Futuristic at Once

Italian studio DimoreMilano mustered great ingenuity when crafting these sculptural shelves, which are built without any screws.

Ask an Interior Designer: Work-from-Home Edition

Leaping into a design project, whether it's refreshing the bedroom or redoing the whole house, can be overwhelming. Luckily, we know more than a few interior designers. You asked questions on Instagram, and now they're answering.

Collected and Eclectic, ‘Wunderkammern’ Are Back in a Big Way

Introduced nearly 500 years ago, curiosity cabinets are finding new fans among today's collectors and designers.

Meet the Incredible Woman Transforming Fallen Trees into Sleek Furniture

In the hands of New York Heartwoods cofounder Megan Offner, unwanted local trees become works of design art.

These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project

From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.