WA bench is a long seat on which multiple people may sit at the same time. Benches are typically made of wood, but may also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials. Many benches have arm and back rests; some have no back rest and can be sat on from either side. In American public areas, benches are often donated by persons or associations, which may then be indicated on it, e.g. by a small plaque. Benches are used both outdoors and indoors.
WA weight training bench is a piece of equipment that has a resemblance to a normal bench, but is designed for use in weight training.
WThe internet bench, also known as the "cyber seat", was the first internet-enabled bench. It was installed in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, on 6 August 2001. It was customized to allow seating for four people at a time who could plug their laptops into modem jacks for free. The bench became popular as a picture-taking location and was also covered by international television crews. With the advent of Wi-Fi, the bench was deactivated. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the "oldest internet bench".
WA joggling or jostling board is a long, pliable board that is supported on each end by wooden stands. The board is springy and a person sitting on it can easily bounce up and down. Sources differ on the origin; its usage in the Lowcountry of South Carolina around Charleston in the early 19th century is however rather well-documented.
WA memorial bench or memorial seat is a piece of furniture which commemorates a person who has died. Memorial benches are typically made of wood, but can also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials. Typically memorial benches are placed in public places but are often also placed in domestic gardens.
WA monks bench or hutch table is a piece of furniture where a tabletop is set onto a chest in such a way that when the table was not in use, the top pivots to a vertical position and becomes the back of a Settle, and this configuration allows easy access to the chest lid which forms the seat of the piece. Percy Blandford notes that "whether monks ever used such a bench is debatable, but it is an attractive name".
WMrs Macquarie's Chair is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench, on a peninsula in Sydney Harbour. It was hand carved by convicts in 1810, for Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales. The peninsula itself was known to the Gadigal as Yurong Point, and is now widely known as Mrs Macquarie's Point, and is part of The Domain, near the Royal Botanic Gardens.
WAn ottoman is a piece of furniture. Generally ottomans have neither backs nor arms. They may be an upholstered low couch or a smaller cushioned seat used as a table, stool or footstool, the seat may have hinges and form a lid whereby the inside hollow used for storage of linen, magazines or other items. The smaller version is usually placed near to an armchair or sofa as part of living room decor or may be used as a fireside seat.
WA pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
WA settle is a wooden bench, usually with arms and a high back, long enough to accommodate three or four sitters.
WThe city of St. Petersburg, Florida popularized green benches in the early 1900s. They quickly grew in popularity to become a hospitality trademark of the city and drew tourists in from around the United States.
WThe Zodiac settle is a piece of painted furniture designed by the English architect and designer William Burges and made between 1869 and 1871. A wooden settle designed with Zodiac themes, it was made for Burges' rooms at Buckingham Street, and later moved to the drawing room of The Tower House, the home that he designed for himself in Holland Park. Burges desired to fill his home with furniture "covered with paintings, both ornaments and subjects; it not only did its duty as furniture, but spoke and told a story." At one stage the poet John Betjeman gave the settle to the novelist Evelyn Waugh, and it is now in the collection of The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum in Bedford.