Charles Bentley: A UK Online Shop for Garden Furniture, Homeware and Outdoor Living
Some shops sell a little bit of everything because they haven’t quite decided what they want to be.
Charles Bentley is different.
Its range covers plenty of categories, but they all revolve around a fairly simple idea: helping you make your home and garden more comfortable, useful and enjoyable.
That means you can browse garden furniture, BBQs, fire pits, parasols, sheds, storage, home accessories, kitchen products, fireside equipment, pet products, garden tools and DIY essentials without leaving the same website.
And there’s considerably more history behind the name than you might expect.
Charles Bentley traces its roots back to 1860 and remains a sixth-generation family business, making it an interesting destination for anyone who enjoys UK online shopping with established British companies rather than shopping exclusively through giant international marketplaces.
If your garden needs an upgrade, your kitchen needs something practical or you simply fancy making home life a little more comfortable, this UK online shop has plenty worth exploring.
👉 Visit Charles Bentley and explore the latest home and garden collection
Who Is Charles Bentley?
Charles Bentley is a long-established British family business based in Loughborough, Leicestershire.
The company’s history stretches all the way back to 1860.
What began as a brush-making business developed over successive generations into a much broader home and garden company. By its 160th anniversary in 2020, Charles Bentley said it employed more than 137 people, manufactured over two million brushes every year at its Loughborough factory and stocked thousands of home, garden, leisure and pet products.
Today, CEO Charles Bentley represents the sixth generation of the family business.
That’s quite a leap from traditional brushmaking to modern ecommerce.
Although, reassuringly, you can still buy brooms.
Some traditions are worth keeping.
More Than 160 Years of British Business
Heritage claims can occasionally be rather generous.
A company launches on Tuesday and by Friday its website is discussing “generations of craftsmanship”.
Charles Bentley doesn’t need to exaggerate.
A founding date of 1860 puts the company firmly into Victorian Britain.
Over six generations, the business has evolved from what it describes as a cottage industry through industrial manufacturing and into today’s digital retail world.
That’s worth mentioning because it gives Charles Bentley a fairly distinctive position among UK online shopping websites.
You’re using a modern ecommerce shop, but the business behind it predates online shopping by well over a century.
It predates television.
It predates commercial radio.
It even predates the modern vacuum cleaner.
Which makes the fact that Charles Bentley still sells traditional brushware feel strangely appropriate.
What Does Charles Bentley Sell?
The modern Charles Bentley catalogue is extensive.
Its principal areas currently include:
- Garden furniture
- Parasols and bases
- Gazebos and marquees
- Garden décor
- BBQs
- Fire pits and chimineas
- Patio heaters
- Garden storage
- Garden tools
- Brushware
- Homeware
- Kitchen products
- Fireside accessories
- Pet products
- Camping equipment
- DIY equipment and tools
- Sack trucks and trolleys
There’s also seasonal merchandise and a changing selection of promotional products.
For an online retailer, that’s a surprisingly varied afternoon of browsing.
You can begin by choosing a garden chair and somehow end up comparing cement mixers.
That’s what we call range.
Garden Furniture at Charles Bentley
Garden furniture is one of the most prominent parts of the current Charles Bentley business.
Its dedicated collection includes bistro sets, sun loungers, deck chairs, lounge sets, outdoor dining tables and chairs, benches, hammocks and swing chairs.
Outdoor Dining Sets
If your idea of summer involves eating outdoors whenever Britain provides a 17-minute gap between rain showers, an outdoor dining set is an obvious place to start.
Charles Bentley carries designs in a variety of materials.
Its broader garden range currently includes furniture made using materials such as cast aluminium, wrought iron, FSC hardwood, acacia, eucalyptus, teak and Scandinavian redwood.
Different materials offer different advantages in appearance, weight and maintenance, so it’s worth reading the individual care information before choosing.
Bistro Sets
For smaller gardens, balconies and patios, a bistro set can make considerably more sense than an enormous dining table.
These compact tables and chairs create somewhere to sit outdoors without requiring half an acre of lawn.
They’re particularly useful if your outdoor space is technically described as:
“Enough room for two chairs, provided nobody moves suddenly.”
Small gardens deserve furniture too.
Garden Lounge Sets
If entertaining is less important than lying outside with a drink and doing absolutely nothing, explore the lounge furniture.
Outdoor lounge sets are designed to bring more of an indoor sofa-style experience into the garden.
Depending on the collection, you’ll find seating arrangements suitable for different group sizes and spaces.
Sun Loungers and Deck Chairs
British sunshine may be unreliable.
That has never stopped us purchasing equipment for it.
Charles Bentley’s collection includes sun loungers, sun beds and deck chairs, ready for approximately nine glorious days each year when everybody suddenly decides the garden is the Mediterranean.
Keep one nearby.
You never know.
Garden Parasols
A garden parasol is useful for considerably more than making your patio look like a hotel terrace.
Shade can make outdoor spaces much more comfortable on hot days, particularly around dining areas.
Charles Bentley sells both parasols and parasol bases, meaning shoppers can put together a suitable combination rather than attempting to wedge an umbrella into an inappropriate bucket filled with bricks.
We’ve all improvised.
Sometimes buying the proper base is easier.
Gazebos and Marquees
For larger outdoor spaces and entertaining, the website also features gazebos and marquees.
These can be useful for:
- Garden parties
- Family gatherings
- BBQs
- Outdoor dining
- Celebrations
- Providing temporary shade or shelter
If you’ve ever planned a British garden party, you’ll understand why some kind of roof tends to be a wise contingency.
You can organise the guest list.
You can prepare the food.
You cannot negotiate with the clouds.
BBQs and Outdoor Cooking
No garden retail range would feel complete without a BBQ department.
Charles Bentley currently offers gas BBQs, charcoal BBQs and Kamado-style BBQs, alongside accessories and covers.
Gas BBQs
Gas BBQs appeal to people who prioritise convenience.
They generally heat quickly and offer straightforward temperature control.
This is useful if your attitude to outdoor cooking is:
“I’d like dinner rather than a two-hour fire-making ceremony.”
Charcoal BBQs
Charcoal remains popular because many people enjoy the traditional cooking experience and flavour associated with it.
It requires a little more preparation than switching on a gas burner, but for some people that is part of the attraction.
Kamado BBQs
Kamado-style ceramic BBQs have become increasingly popular with enthusiastic outdoor cooks.
They can be used for various cooking techniques and are particularly interesting if outdoor cooking has progressed from “burgers occasionally” into something resembling a hobby.
Charles Bentley currently includes Kamado BBQs within its outdoor cooking range.
Fire Pits, Chimineas and Patio Heaters
Britain’s outdoor furniture season could be considerably longer if evenings would simply cooperate.
Thankfully, there are ways of making cooler weather more comfortable.
Charles Bentley sells fire pits, chimineas and patio heaters within its outdoor-living range.
A fire pit can also create a natural focal point for a seating area.
Just remember that outdoor heating and open flames need appropriate positioning and responsible use.
Garden ambience is lovely.
Accidentally barbecuing your new parasol is less so.
Garden Storage and Sheds
Outdoor living creates an unavoidable side effect:
You accumulate things.
Cushions.
Tools.
Plant pots.
BBQ equipment.
Children’s toys.
Several objects nobody remembers buying.
Charles Bentley’s garden-maintenance section includes metal, wooden and plastic sheds alongside outdoor storage boxes.
Outdoor Storage Boxes
A storage box can be particularly useful if you don’t have enough space for a full shed.
Depending on its size and specifications, it can provide somewhere to keep garden accessories organised and protected.
Garden Sheds
For larger storage requirements, sheds provide significantly more capacity.
Before ordering one online, always check:
- External dimensions
- Internal dimensions
- Foundation requirements
- Door dimensions
- Assembly requirements
- Material
- Maintenance needs
Also check whether the shed fits through wherever it needs to travel during assembly.
Your garden may have space for it.
The side passage might disagree.
Garden Maintenance and Brushware
This is where Charles Bentley’s long history becomes particularly visible.
The company still offers extensive brushware and garden-maintenance products, including hand brushes, brooms, dustpan-and-brush sets and snow shovels.
Its brands and collections include Charles Bentley brooms alongside Charnwood, BULLDOZER and Lifestyle brushware.
More Than Just Furniture
This is important because Charles Bentley isn’t merely a garden-furniture retailer.
You can potentially furnish your garden, maintain it and organise it through the same website.
That’s convenient for homeowners who prefer consolidating purchases rather than opening fifteen browser tabs.
Although fifteen browser tabs is still considerably better than the 47 currently open on your phone.
No judgement.
Garden Décor
Outdoor spaces can be decorated just like indoor rooms.
Charles Bentley’s garden décor currently includes categories such as mirrors, clocks, pots, planters, arches, water features, outdoor rugs and lighting.
Outdoor Mirrors
A strategically positioned garden mirror can help create a feeling of depth, particularly in smaller spaces.
Naturally, positioning matters.
Nobody needs an outdoor mirror aimed directly at the afternoon sun like an experimental satellite weapon.
Planters and Decorative Accessories
Containers, lighting and other accessories are useful when you want to refresh a garden without replacing large pieces of furniture.
Sometimes a few smaller changes can make an outdoor space feel considerably more finished.
Homeware at Charles Bentley
The word “garden” appears frequently when discussing Charles Bentley, but the retailer also has a substantial Home Living collection.
The company describes the range as combining traditional styling with contemporary homeware, with products including furniture, appliances and decorative accessories.
Current home categories include:
- Kitchen products
- Kitchen bins
- Small appliances
- Bootroom products
- Doormats
- Pet beds
- Fireside equipment
- Tables
- Footstools
- Storage
- Rugs
- Clocks
- Mirrors
That’s considerably more than somewhere to buy a patio chair.
Kitchen Products
The kitchen section currently includes kitchen bins and small appliances.
These are practical rather than particularly glamorous purchases.
Nobody has ever gathered the family around to dramatically unveil the new kitchen bin.
But you use these things every day.
That makes buying something functional, sensibly sized and suited to the room arguably more important than buying something exciting.
Fireside Accessories
Charles Bentley also has a particularly traditional fireside collection.
Current categories include:
- Wicker baskets
- Fireguards
- Companion sets
- Log storage
- Coal storage
- Fireside tools
- Kindling products
This part of the range fits especially well with the company’s heritage styling.
If you have a wood-burning stove or open fireplace, the difference between “cosy cottage” and “pile of logs dumped next to wall” often comes down to storage and accessories.
Pet Products
Even the pets get a department.
Charles Bentley’s range currently includes products such as pet beds, outdoor hutches, hutch covers and pet runs.
The outdoor pet collection includes wooden structures designed to provide sheltered or enclosed areas for smaller animals.
As always with animal housing, make sure the dimensions, security and weather protection are genuinely appropriate for the particular pet rather than choosing on appearance alone.
Your rabbit is unlikely to care whether its home coordinates with your garden furniture.
It will care about space.
Garden Play Equipment
Families should also investigate Charles Bentley’s outdoor play section.
The current range includes categories such as trampolines, sandpits, ride-on toys, basketball hoops and football goals.
This broadens the website from home-and-garden retail into family outdoor living.
And conveniently gives children something to do while the adults attempt to assemble the gazebo.
Teamwork.
Camping and Leisure Products
The company’s Home Living section also includes a selection of camping and leisure equipment.
Current products have included camping kitchen units, folding picnic tables, camping stoves and camp beds.
This can be useful if your outdoor ambitions stretch beyond the back garden.
Although anybody bringing a folding kitchen, table, bed and stove on a camping trip may reasonably be accused of simply relocating their house.
We’re supportive.
Comfort matters.
DIY and Building Products
One of the more unexpected departments is DIY & Building.
Charles Bentley currently sells products including:
- Tools
- GRIPIT products
- MarXman tools
- Cement mixers
- Sack trucks
- Trolleys
This is another example of how much broader the modern company has become than its furniture-focused homepage initially suggests.
You can order something decorative for the garden and a cement mixer from the same retailer.
Try achieving that at your average boutique interiors shop.
Charles Bentley Review: Our Impressions from Browsing
Here’s the important disclaimer.
This isn’t a hands-on Charles Bentley review.
We haven’t personally ordered a garden dining set, spent a summer on one of its loungers or tested whether a Charles Bentley gazebo can survive everything the British weather decides to throw at it.
So we’re not going to invent a first-hand opinion.
What we can assess is the company history, current catalogue, product information, shopping policies and independent customer feedback.
And several things stand out.
The Heritage Is Unusually Strong
The first is obvious.
A business dating back to 1860 and remaining under sixth-generation family leadership has a considerably deeper history than the typical ecommerce store.
That doesn’t automatically make every product perfect.
But it does demonstrate substantial longevity.
Businesses generally don’t make it through more than 160 years without learning how to adapt.
The Garden Range Is Particularly Extensive
Garden furniture and outdoor living appear to be major strengths.
Between dining sets, bistro furniture, loungers, parasols, gazebos, BBQs, heating, décor and storage, it would be possible to redesign a substantial portion of an outdoor space through one shop.
That convenience is likely to appeal to people undertaking larger garden projects.
The Range Combines Style and Practicality
Another interesting point is the combination of decorative and utilitarian products.
Charles Bentley sells stylish outdoor furniture.
It also sells brooms.
It sells garden mirrors.
It also sells wheelie bins.
There are elegant lounge sets alongside sack trucks and cement mixers.
That’s surprisingly useful.
Homes require beautiful things.
They also require practical things that prevent them becoming chaotic.
What Do Charles Bentley Customers Say?
For independent customer feedback, Charles Bentley currently has more than 11,000 reviews on Trustpilot, with an overall rating in the “Great” range at the time of our research.
The review profile is mixed rather than universally glowing, which is worth acknowledging.
A substantial majority of ratings are positive, while some customers report less satisfactory experiences involving areas such as orders, delivery or products.
That’s useful information because no responsible review-style article should pretend negative feedback doesn’t exist.
For larger purchases such as garden furniture, we’d recommend reading several recent reviews yourself, paying particular attention to experiences involving the type of product you’re considering.
A 12-Month Product Warranty
Charles Bentley currently provides a 12-month warranty on every product purchased through CharlesBentley.com.
That provides a degree of additional reassurance, particularly when buying larger furniture or outdoor products.
As always, check exactly what the warranty covers and retain proof of purchase.
Apparently warranties operate considerably better when you can remember where you put the receipt.
Charles Bentley Returns
The retailer’s current enhanced returns policy allows a 60-day cancellation period, compared with the 14-day statutory cancellation period shown alongside it.
There are conditions and differences around return costs depending on whether an item is faulty, incorrect or simply unwanted.
For large furniture, this matters.
Returning a cushion is relatively straightforward.
Returning a seven-piece garden dining set involves rather more logistics.
Always read the current conditions before ordering.
Delivery from Charles Bentley
Delivery arrangements vary according to the product.
For example, some current Charles Bentley products advertise free delivery to mainland UK with an estimated 3–5 working-day delivery period.
Larger or specialist products may have different delivery arrangements.
Check the individual listing and your postcode before ordering rather than assuming every product uses exactly the same service.
And remember:
Large garden furniture needs somewhere to go when it arrives.
Maybe clear the garage before the delivery van appears.
Radical, we know.
Choosing Garden Furniture Online
Buying outdoor furniture through a UK online shop is wonderfully convenient, but photographs can make scale surprisingly difficult to judge.
A few checks can prevent expensive mistakes.
Measure the Space
Use actual measurements.
Better still, mark the intended furniture footprint on the patio with tape, chalk or another temporary marker.
That gives you a much more realistic sense of how much room remains for walking around it.
Check Materials
Different materials require different amounts of care.
Read the manufacturer’s instructions concerning weather exposure, cleaning, storage and protective covers.
Think About Winter
The product may look beautiful during July.
Where will it live in January?
If you can’t bring the furniture indoors, investigate whether an appropriate weather cover is available.
Conveniently, Charles Bentley sells furniture and BBQ covers as well.
Measure Access
Your beautiful new garden table has to reach the garden.
Check gates, side passages and other access points if furniture arrives substantially assembled.
Discovering a table is two centimetres wider than your passageway creates exactly the kind of family discussion we’d prefer to avoid.
Who Might Enjoy Shopping at Charles Bentley?
Charles Bentley could be particularly interesting if you’re:
- Looking for garden furniture online in the UK
- Shopping for outdoor dining sets
- Searching for bistro furniture
- Buying sun loungers
- Looking for garden parasols
- Shopping for gazebos
- Buying a BBQ
- Looking for fire pits or patio heaters
- Searching for garden storage
- Buying homeware and accessories
- Looking for traditional fireside products
- Shopping for pet hutches or beds
- Buying garden-maintenance equipment
- Looking for DIY tools
- Interested in established British family businesses
- Searching for a broad UK online home and garden shop
It’s particularly worth exploring if you’re planning several changes to a garden at once.
Charles Bentley and the Appeal of Buying from an Established British Business
There’s no shortage of home-and-garden products online.
Search for “garden chair” and you can lose the remainder of your natural life scrolling through options.
Charles Bentley offers something a little more distinctive.
The company has a genuine manufacturing heritage dating back to Victorian Britain, is still run by the sixth generation of the Bentley family and continues operating from Loughborough.
That long history doesn’t mean you should buy something without comparing prices or reading specifications.
But it gives the retailer an identity beyond simply being another product catalogue.
For shoppers who enjoy supporting established British businesses through UK online shopping, that matters.
Is Charles Bentley Worth a Look?
Based on our research, yes — particularly if you’re shopping for garden furniture, outdoor living products or practical home-and-garden equipment.
We can’t personally award Charles Bentley five stars without ordering and testing its products ourselves.
But there are several compelling reasons to browse.
The business has been operating since 1860.
It remains family-led six generations later.
The garden-furniture range is extensive.
Homeware, fireside, pet, camping, garden-maintenance and DIY products considerably broaden the catalogue.
Purchases made through its website currently come with a 12-month warranty.
And there are thousands of independent customer reviews available to help you research before buying.
For a specialist UK online shop for home and garden products, that’s plenty to investigate.
Ready to Explore Charles Bentley?
Perhaps your patio is crying out for a proper dining set.
Maybe you’ve decided this is finally the year you buy a decent BBQ.
Perhaps the shed is overflowing, your fireplace needs organising or you have recently become the sort of person who gets genuinely excited about a high-quality broom.
Adulthood takes us to unexpected places.
Whatever you’re shopping for, Charles Bentley has more than 160 years of British business history and a huge modern catalogue to explore.
👉 Visit Charles Bentley and shop home, garden and outdoor living products
Have a browse through the garden furniture, outdoor cooking, homeware, storage and seasonal collections.
You may find exactly what you were looking for.
You may also find three other things you didn’t realise the garden needed.
That’s home improvement for you.