Antique Furniture 19thc Oak Coopered Barrel Umbrella / Stick Holder.

One of the nicest stick / umbrella holders I have seen in a long while...it is made from an oak coopered barrel and is large enough to hold a good number of sticks and umbrella's....the barrel is unusual in itself, as it probably contained a valuable food supplement for cattle or sheep....such as molasses, from sugar beet or milky whey, a by-product of cheese making, which used to be fed to lactating cattle, when I was a boy....so the barrel has done very well to survive in such good condition....it has also gained a fine colour from many years of use and it pleases me to see it being used again as a very useful stick /umbrella holder...!

English. C1860-80.