In our professional opinion, our Metal Garden Benches are a bit of an unsung outdoor furniture hero... Humble they may be, however, they not only have numerous functions, but they can also become a critical focal point and integral in pulling a garden design scheme together.
They're an alternative to our dining-style garden chairs and fulfil a sort of wonderful middle ground between sitting to eat and relaxing on an outdoor sofa or lounge-style chair.
Location-wise, again, the possibilities are endless. You can place them on the patio so they’re close by if you need to pull them up to a garden table to sit a few extra guests, or they can be positioned in a quiet corner to create a relaxing space away from the main patio area.
They look and work great near a back door as a place to sit and remove muddy boots or we have got a raft of customer photographs showing them at the front of a west-facing property to catch the sun as it sets.
These Garden Furniture Focus articles have proven to be pretty popular, and we’ve had some wonderful feedback from customers who have been convinced to buy a specific set or piece of furniture from us after reading them.
Last month we focussed on our Garden Sun Loungers, and Garden Benches felt like a nice logical follow-on. Plus, there’s definitely a lot more to our Metal Garden Benches than first meets the eye, and in this article, we’re deep-diving into our full summer 22 collection!
A brief history of the Garden Bench
Much like the Sun Lounger, the Garden Bench has a fascinating history that’s difficult to pinpoint. Much of the evolution has occurred alongside changes in garden design and landscaping. Benches have evolved to suit the tastes of the era and the ways in which we like to use our outdoor spaces.
In this country, we can trace back the garden as an aesthetic or recreational space to the Romans in 43 AD, although much of their inspiration came from the Greeks who populated the idea of the garden as a place of relaxation.
Previously, any plot of land would be used for growing vegetables and rearing livestock, and while the Romans still did this too, they introduced many of the facets of what we now consider a garden, such as fencing, hedges, trees, terraces, verandas, courtyards, etc. And with that came places to sit in the form of stone Garden Benches so they could enjoy a little quiet time in their outdoor spaces.
According to Wikipedia, some of the oldest surviving examples of garden benches were found in the gardens of Pompeii, where 500 domestic gardens were preserved. Many of the more affluent villas featured formal gardens with beautiful stone benches alongside fountains and marble statues.
In the UK, the influence of landscape designers such as Capability Brown in the 18th century popularised much of what we know (and still practice) as the fundamentals of garden design to this day. Much of what they were doing at those large country piles started to filter down to many of the new middle-class homes being built.
Also, at this time, garden furniture pieces constructed from wrought iron started to become popular with makers taking inspiration from the designs of Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton. And while at first only the preserve of the wealthy, the industrial revolution ushered in the more affordable cast iron, which, unlike wrought pieces that were crafted by hand, meant garden furniture could be mass-produced.
The Coalbrookdale Company is probably the most famous name in cast iron outdoor furniture, and by the 1830s they’d launched their popular range of garden chairs and benches. Much of the styling is still a huge influence on our industry to this day. In fact, their romantic design cues can still be found in many Lazy Susan pieces, such as our London Rose Garden Bistro Chairs (pictured above).
About our Metal Garden Benches
At Lazy Susan we have a fab range of classically styled garden benches that draw upon the history and heritage of the UK but why should you choose our maintenance-free and weatherproof garden benches?
They’re a great way to update your garden space and enjoy some relaxed outdoor living in comfort and style (and even in the rain if you so wish).
From warm summer days catching up with loves ones to laidback evenings kicking back with a drink, our metal garden benches add charm, character and comfort to your garden or patio space.
Our collection of garden benches is carefully designed to take centre stage in your garden and perfectly complement our range of garden tables and chairs (as shown below with our Jasmine Garden Bench pulled up to our Maddison table to squeeze in a few more guests).
From our stylish antique bronze to cool slate grey, classic white, and a timeless sandstone, you’re guaranteed to find a bench that fits with the style of your home and matches seamlessly with your outdoor space.
Our full range of Metal Garden Benches
Rose Garden Benches
Our Rose benches feature a timeless design with a central rose motif on the back with a latticework seat and backrest. Popular with Lazy Susan customers, it continues to be our best-selling bench with over 130 glowing reviews. Rose’s styling complements many other pieces in our collection but it also looks great as a stand-alone piece. It is lightweight at only 14kg, making assembly easy and moving it around your garden a simple task.
Rose Bench Metal Garden Bench in Antique Bronze
103 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Rose Bench Metal Garden Bench in Slate
103 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Rose Bench Metal Garden Bench in White
103 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Rose Bench Metal Garden Bench in Sandstone
103 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Jasmine Garden Benches
The Jasmine bench range features sleek and sophisticated styling that is ideal for those looking for a more contemporary look. Just like our Rose benches, it is both durable and lightweight and is another of our best-selling pieces.
Jasmine Bench Metal Garden Bench in Antique Bronze
102 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Jasmine Bench Metal Garden Bench in Slate
102 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Jasmine Bench Metal Garden Bench in White
102 cm x cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Jasmine Bench Metal Garden Bench in Sandstone
102 cm x cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Grace Garden Benches
Our Grace bench features vertically slatted metalwork which gives it a chic and contemporary elegance. Another popular seller with over 100 positive reviews, Grace also works as a stand-alone piece, but it also looks great alongside our outdoor coffee tables.
Grace Bench Metal Garden Bench in Antique Bronze
102 cm x 55 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Grace Bench Metal Garden Bench in Slate
102 cm x 55 cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Grace Bench Metal Garden Bench in White
102 cm x 55cm cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
April Garden Benches
April benches feature an exquisite and intricate metalwork design that is sure to take centre-stage in your garden or on your patio. Perfect for morning coffee or evening drinks, it only weighs 14kg so is also easy to move around your garden until you find the perfect spot.
April Bench Metal Garden Bench in Antique Bronze
114 cm wide cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
April Bench Metal Garden Bench in Slate
114 cm wide cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
April Bench Metal Garden Bench in White
114 cm wide cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
April Bench Metal Garden Bench in Sandstone
114 cm wide cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
July Garden Benches
Last in our collection is our stylish July benches. Featuring minimalist metalwork with a criss-cross design pattern, July is perfect for adding a little glam to your outdoor space. Weighing in at only 14kg, it is again easy to move around and will complement many of our garden table sets, making it ideal as additional seating. Versatile, stylish and comfortable July is the perfect garden bench for you to truly enjoy this summer.
July Bench Metal Garden Bench in Antique Bronze
102 cm wide cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
July Bench Metal Garden Bench in White
102 cm wide cast aluminium metal garden bench | Shop Now
Why purchase a Metal Garden Bench from Lazy Susan?
Every good garden design has a focal point in order to make sense of the space and draw the eye from the inside of the home to the out. There are many ways you can do this but a garden bench at the foot of the garden is a great way to create a natural point to draw the eye and invite outside.
Position your metal garden bench in a sunny corner at the bottom of your garden to sit back and admire or add it to the patio to create a laid-back zone for tea and coffee.
We purposely craft our garden benches using a high-grade sand-cast aluminium that’s lightweight and easy to move around your patio or deck, allowing you to switch up the layout of your garden.
If you’ve got a few extra guests over, they’re perfect for pulling up to your Lazy Susan garden table to squeeze a few more in.
Aluminium is rust-free and super simple to maintain, meaning that our beautiful garden benches can be left outside for many years in all seasons.
If you’ve limited space in your garden, then a garden bench is a great solution. We always advise that you purchase items that fit how you like to use the space.
A garden bench paired with a low coffee table will often suffice for many. It gives you a place to sit and enjoy a little fresh air with a minimal footprint.
They provide a more informal seating area that is great for sharing with your partner or a friend who’s popped around and as you can leave them outside in all weather they’re ready to use when the sun shines.
If you have a large garden they’re a great cost-effective way of adding an additional seating zone so you can enjoy the sun at different times of the day or create a quiet reading spot away from the main patio area.
Plus, with our garden benches saying only 14kg or less and no need to fix them in place, they’re flexible and versatile. Simple they may be but a garden bench definitely punches above its weight.
Two of our April garden benches were even recently featured on ITV’s Love Your Garden (pictured above and you can read all about it here.
Our Garden Bench Tech Specs & Dimensions
Rose Garden Benches
Jasmine Garden Benches
Grace Garden Benches
April Garden Benches
July Garden Benches
Big savings on Garden Benches when purchased with a Table Set
If you purchase our garden benches with one of our garden table sets, you can make some big savings.
For example, if you purchase our best-selling 6 Seater June Set in Antique Bronze (above) you can add our Jasmine Garden Bench as a gift for only £120.
That is a saving of £79.95 if you purchase it separately (for £199.95)!
NB: Please note prices are correct as of June 2022 but are subject to change.
Big savings on Accessories when purchased with a Garden Bench
If you do just want to purchase one of our garden benches separately, then you can still take advantage of some great savings.
For example, you could add our Willow Side Table (as shown above) for only £60, that’s a saving of £29.95 off RRP.
Plus, you can save up to 20% on our stylish bench cushions when purchased with one of our garden benches!
How to assemble our Metal Garden Benches
Our Garden Benches are all supplied RTA (Ready To Assemble) so some self-assembly is required.
This basically means we send with the arms/legs off the seat and back rest and it is so that it’s safe and cost-effective to ship.
Assembly instructions for our Jasmine Bench are shown above and you will find PDFs for the others on their respective product pages in our shop, however, the basic principles apply to all.
We also have easy-to-follow assembly videos for our garden bench range and they are all shown below:
Rose Garden Benches
Jasmine Garden Benches
Grace Garden Benches
April Garden Benches
All our benches are securely packaged for shipping but when constructed they have the strength and good looks you’d expect from a quality garden bench.
We provide clear instructions, parts and tools for the building, and all fixings are provided for you in a separate card ‘pop-out’ packet.
When you see the crossed-through spanner symbol in the assembly instructions, this means that at this stage of the process, you should only finger-tighten the bolts.
Once all bolts are in place, then you can fully tighten with the spanner provided to ensure that the legs, etc are fitted evenly and in the correct position.
If you do have any questions about assembly, then please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team.
Shipping & Delivery of our Garden Benches
We generally expect all our garden benches to be dispatched within 3 working days via either XDP or DPD Local.
Once dispatched they will contact you with tracking details, so please provide a mobile number when placing your order.
Please then allow a further 3-5 days for delivery.
However, if you order your garden bench in addition to a garden table and chairs set, then please use the delivery times for the largest item you’ve ordered.
Again, at any time, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team.
What our customers are saying about our Garden Benches
Here are just a few examples of what people have been saying about our garden furniture:
Customer photographs of our Garden Benches
As well as our customer reviews we have some fantastic customer photographs of our benches (as per the example above) that can help you visualise what they’d look like in situ in your own garden.
Help us Do Some Good when you purchase a Garden Bench
For every customer photograph of our garden benches that you send us, we also donate to one of our charity partners.
You can find out how to get involved and read more about the charities we've helped and why on our Charity page.
Contact the Lazy Susan Customer Service Team
The Lazy Susan team are always happy to answer any questions you may have, so if you would like to know more about our Metal Garden Benches, then please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01243 71 71 97, or drop an email to [email protected].
If you’re still unsure which bench is right for you, then we can also send out sample swatches of our metal finishes and cushion colours. You can order them FOC on our Free Sample Pack pages.
Shop our full Metal Garden Benches collection today!