Refectory Table

A Refectory table – is a very long oblong table which was originally used for dining in Medieval monasteries. In the Later Middle Ages it evolved into a banqueting and feasting table used in castles and manor houses.

They were handmade, usually in oak or walnut based on a trestle style with stretchers supporting the table legs very close to the ground.
The adaption of the refectory table for use outside monasteries was started by Italian craftsmen in the middle of the 16th century and spread across Europe during the latter part of the 16th century to England, Flanders and Germany.

Southern Europeans tended to use walnut for their tables, whilst oak was used in Northern Europe.