Campaign Bed, Walmer Castle

The Duke of Wellington slept in this campaign bed at Walmer Castle. It was shown in a cartoon of 1829 by William Heath, entitled ‘Take up your bed and walk’, where it was described as first being used by the Duke during the Peninsular Wars. Campaign furniture was collapsible so that it could be carried. Specialist manufacturers thrived throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, catering for officers and colonial travellers.