Ercol: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Added reference for the new facility |
|||
| (96 intermediate revisions by 60 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Furniture manufacturer}} |
|||
'''Ercol''' is the name of a British furniture manufacturer. The firm dates back to 1920, when it was established in [[High Wycombe]], [[Buckinghamshire]], as '''Furniture Industries''' by [[Lucian Ercolani]] (1888–1976). |
|||
{{EngvarB|date=September 2018}} |
|||
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}} |
|||
{{refimprove|date=November 2024}} |
|||
[[File:Princes Risborough, ercol workshop and showroom - geograph.org.uk - 749399.jpg|thumb|Ercol furniture factory, Princes Risborough]] |
|||
In 1944, Ercol was contracted by the government [[Board of Trade]] to produce 100,000 low-cost [[Windsor chair]]s – chairs with a [[bentwood]] frame and an arched back supporting delicate spindles. For the order to be a commercial success, Ercol perfected the [[steam-bending]] of wood in large quantities. The wood selected was English [[elm]] – a wood previously thought impossible to bend because it distorted. Ercol’s innovation meant the chair could be assembled from fourteen pre-formed components, and mechanisation meant that a chair could be made every twenty seconds. |
|||
'''Ercol''' is a British furniture manufacturer. It was established by [[Lucian Ercolani]] and his sons in [[High Wycombe]], [[Buckinghamshire]] and is now based in [[Princes Risborough]].<ref>{{cite ODNB|last1=McConnell|first1=Anita|title=Ercolani, Lucian Randolph (1888–1976), furniture designer and manufacturer|date=23 September 2004|volume=1|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/46982|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/46982|access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref> |
|||
==History== |
|||
===Origins=== |
|||
The company was founded in 1920 as '''Furniture Industries''' by Italian-born [[Lucian Ercolani]] (1888–1976), who had trained as a furniture designer at [[London College of Fashion|Shoreditch Technical Institute]], and made his first piece of furniture in 1907.{{cn|date=November 2024}} "Ercol" was first registered as a [[trademark]] in 1928.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trade mark number UK00000495084 |url=https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase/page/Results/1/UK00000495084 |website=trademarks.ipo.gov.uk |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref> |
|||
===World War 2=== |
|||
| ⚫ | In 1946, Ercol exhibited its [[bentwood]] furniture at the [[Britain Can Make It]] exhibition, held at the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], London. In 1947, the first production-line |
||
In 1944, Ercol was contracted by the government's [[Board of Trade]] to produce 100,000 low-cost [[Windsor chair]]s under the [[Utility furniture|Utility Furniture Scheme]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ercol and the Board of Trade |url=https://www.ercol.com/en-gb/about/about-ercol/ercol-timeline |website=ercol timeline |publisher=ercol corporate website |access-date=25 September 2024}}</ref> [[Windsor chair]]s were constructed with a [[bentwood]] frame and an arched back supporting delicate spindles, using the [[steam bending]] of English [[elm]] – a wood previously thought difficult to bend because it distorts.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} This method allowed the chair to be assembled from 14 pre-formed components, and mechanization meant that a chair could be made every 20 seconds.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} |
|||
In 2002 Ercol moved to a new purpose-built facility in [[Princes Risborough]], Buckinghamshire, where it produces furniture made from North American [[elm]] and European ash, beech, oak and walnut from naturally regenerative forests. This facility has won a number of awards for its architecture, design and environmental features. The building's heat and hot water is provided from wood waste, whilst the company does not use solvent-based stains and lacquers, instead using the more environmentally friendly water-based versions. Ercol sources its fabrics from mills in Italy and Belgium, and offers a choice of over 100 different fabrics on its upholstery. Ercol upholstery, with its solid wood frames, can generally have the cushions replaced when they wear out, prolonging the life of the suite. It offers a reCover service to supply replacement cushions. |
|||
===Post-war=== |
|||
Ercol's ranges of upholstery, dining, cabinet and occasional furniture are on sale through a network of retailers in the UK, Japan and Korea and directly to other territories, whilst a range of ex-display and factory seconds are available from its factory outlet in Princes Risborough. Ercol's Gina recliner was the first piece of domestic furniture to be awarded the Ergonomics Excellence award by FIRA, the UK furniture industry's independent furniture test house. In 2008 Ercol launched two bedroom ranges - Savona and Paladina - taking it back into the bedroom. |
|||
| ⚫ | In 1946, Ercol exhibited its [[bentwood]] furniture at the "[[Britain Can Make It]]" exhibition, held at the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], London. In 1947, the first production-line Windsor chair, and other pieces from the range of Windsor furniture, went on sale. Ercol's mass-produced furniture found a good market in post-war Britain, which demanded smaller pieces with simpler lines than their chunky pre-war counterparts. Ercol furniture was exhibited at the 1951 [[Festival of Britain]], as one of the latest styles in furniture design and manufacture.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} |
||
Ercol has been awarded the Manufacturing Guildmark by the [[Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers]] in recognition of its commitment to design and to quality of manufacture. Ercol's Treviso range has been shortlisted for the annual[http://www.woodawards.com Wood Awards] held in the autumn of 2009. |
|||
===21st century=== |
|||
As well as its presence in UK retailers' stores, and its own showroom at its Princes Risborough facility, Ercol attends a number of trade and consumer exhibitions and holds a number of events at its showroom. In 2009 Ercol will be exhibiting at the design show [http://www.tentlondon.co.uk Tent London] which is open to the public and in January 2010 at the national trade show at the NEC, Birmingham [http://www.interiorsbirmingham.com Interiors Birmingham]. |
|||
In 2002, Ercol moved to a new facility, purpose built for the company, in [[Princes Risborough]], Buckinghamshire,<ref name="factory">{{cite web |title=hcl architects - Ercol Furniture Factory |url=http://www.hcla.co.uk/projects/type/ercol-furniture-factory |website=www.hcla.co.uk |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref> where it produces furniture made from North American [[elm]] and European ash, beech, oak and walnut. The company sources fabrics from mills in Italy and Belgium, offering a choice of over 100 different options for its upholstery. Because Ercol's upholstery is designed with solid wood frames, it is possible to replace worn-out cushions and other components, prolonging the life of the products. Ercol offers a reCover service to supply replacement cushions.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} |
|||
==Awards== |
|||
Ercol is partnering design magazine Wallpaper for one of the major installations at the 2009 [[London Design Festival]] - a modern interpretation of the Chair Arch, to be given pride of place in the Central Courtyard of the V&A Museum in September 2009. In Victorian times towns would mark a particularly special occasion, such as the visit of a VIP, with an arch adorned with the town's main commodity. The arch would then form the centre of festivities. In 1877 High Wycombe, famous for its chair manufacturing, built a chair arch for the visit of Queen Victoria to Disraeli at his home, Hughenden Manor. The idear originated with the Town Council, who deputised it to one of their members, Walter Skull, to oragnise through the Chair Manufacturers Association. Just over fifty years later his company, Walter Skull & Son, would become part of Ercol. Later arches were erected for the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1962 and for the Millenium. The Ercol-Wallpaper arch will though be dramatically different. Designed by Martino Gamper, it will comprise two overlapping spans, all of the same chair - Ercol's stacking chair. |
|||
Ercol and its employees have been awarded a number of Guild Marks by the [[Furniture Makers' Company]], including: |
|||
Also as part of the [[London Design Festival]] Ercol have been invitied to take part in The Dock. Curated by renowned designer Tom Dixon, The Dock is described as "an emporium of creative talent." Situated at The Portabello Dock, the exhibition will be over 45,000 sq ft, spanning the Grand Union Canal. |
|||
* 15 Bespoke Guild Marks<ref>{{cite web |title=Bespoke Guild Mark {{!}} Ercol |url=https://www.furnituremakers.org.uk/?sfid=33879&_sfm_designer_name=Ercol |website=furnituremakers.org.uk |publisher=Furniture Makers' Company |access-date=9 November 2024}}</ref> |
|||
Ercol's Chairman, Edward Tadros, plays an active role in the wider UK furniture industry and in 2009 became chairman of the industry's charity, the [http://www.ftba.co.uk Furniture Trades Benevolent Association]. Edward is a past Master of the [[Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers]]. |
|||
* a Design Guild Mark in 2010 for the ''Treviso desk'' by Matthew Hilton<ref>{{cite web |title=Treviso Desk |url=https://www.furnituremakers.org.uk/guild-mark-holder/treviso-desk/ |website=furnituremakers.org.uk |publisher=Furniture Makers' Company |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref><ref name="moderndesign">{{cite book |last1=Woodham |first1=Jonathan |title=A Dictionary of Modern Design |date=19 May 2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-251853-8 |pages=233–234 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VFExDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT233 |language=en}}</ref> |
|||
* a Design Guild Mark in 2015 for the ''Svelto round stacking stool'' by Lisa Gould Sandall<ref>{{cite web |title=Svelto Round Stacking Stool |url=https://www.furnituremakers.org.uk/guild-mark-holder/svelto-round-stacking-stool/ |website=furnituremakers.org.uk |publisher=Furniture Makers' Company |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref><ref name="moderndesign" /> |
|||
== |
==Activities== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
Ercol partnered with design magazine ''Wallpaper'' for an installation at the 2009 [[London Design Festival]] – a modern interpretation of the Chair Arch, which was exhibited in the Central Courtyard of the [[V&A Museum]] in September 2009. |
|||
In May 2023, Grown in Britain, an organization dedicated to safekeeping British forests, partnered with Ercol to launch a line of furniture including the Marino chair and Pebble nest.<ref name="gib">{{cite web |title=Ercol launch iconic Marino chair in GiB certified ash |url=https://www.growninbritain.org/ercol-launch-iconic-marino-chair-in-gib-certified-ash/ |website=Grown In Britain |access-date=5 November 2024 |date=23 May 2023}}</ref> |
|||
== References == |
|||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
==Further reading== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
* {{cite book| last= Jackson| first= Lesley| title= Ercol: Furniture in the Making | year= 2020| publisher= Richard Dennis Publications| isbn= 9780957209534}} |
|||
== External links == |
== External links == |
||
* |
* {{Official website}} |
||
* [ |
* [https://www.ercol.com/en-gb/about/about-ercol/archive Ercol catalogue archive] |
||
* [http://twitter.com/Ercol_Furniture Ercol's twitter site] |
|||
{{Woodworking}} |
|||
* [http://www.furnituremkrs.co.uk Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers website] |
|||
{{Authority control}} |
|||
* [http://www.ercol.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=EOS&Category_Code=RE Ercol's Gina recliner range] |
|||
* [http://www.ftba.co.uk Furniture Trades Benevolent Society] |
|||
* [http://www.londondesignfestival.com/content/wallpaper-chair-arch London Design Festival - Chair Arch] |
|||
* [http://www.wallpaper.com/interiors/london-deisgn-festival-exclusive-announcement/3340 Wallpaper - Chair Arch] |
|||
* [http://www.londondesignfestival.com/content/dock London Design Festival - The Dock] |
|||
* [http://furnituredesignoregon.com Bassett Design Furniture] |
|||
[[Category: |
[[Category:1920 establishments in the United Kingdom]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Companies based in Buckinghamshire]] |
||
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1920]] |
|||
[[Category:British furniture makers]] |
|||
[[Category:Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom]] |
|||
[[Category:Woodworking]] |
[[Category:Woodworking]] |
||
[[Category:Wycombe District]] |
|||
[[Category:British companies established in 1920]] |
|||
[[Category:1920 establishments in England]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 00:17, 10 November 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2024) |
Ercol is a British furniture manufacturer. It was established by Lucian Ercolani and his sons in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and is now based in Princes Risborough.[1]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]The company was founded in 1920 as Furniture Industries by Italian-born Lucian Ercolani (1888–1976), who had trained as a furniture designer at Shoreditch Technical Institute, and made his first piece of furniture in 1907.[citation needed] "Ercol" was first registered as a trademark in 1928.[2]
World War 2
[edit]In 1944, Ercol was contracted by the government's Board of Trade to produce 100,000 low-cost Windsor chairs under the Utility Furniture Scheme.[3] Windsor chairs were constructed with a bentwood frame and an arched back supporting delicate spindles, using the steam bending of English elm – a wood previously thought difficult to bend because it distorts.[citation needed] This method allowed the chair to be assembled from 14 pre-formed components, and mechanization meant that a chair could be made every 20 seconds.[citation needed]
Post-war
[edit]In 1946, Ercol exhibited its bentwood furniture at the "Britain Can Make It" exhibition, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In 1947, the first production-line Windsor chair, and other pieces from the range of Windsor furniture, went on sale. Ercol's mass-produced furniture found a good market in post-war Britain, which demanded smaller pieces with simpler lines than their chunky pre-war counterparts. Ercol furniture was exhibited at the 1951 Festival of Britain, as one of the latest styles in furniture design and manufacture.[citation needed]
21st century
[edit]In 2002, Ercol moved to a new facility, purpose built for the company, in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire,[4] where it produces furniture made from North American elm and European ash, beech, oak and walnut. The company sources fabrics from mills in Italy and Belgium, offering a choice of over 100 different options for its upholstery. Because Ercol's upholstery is designed with solid wood frames, it is possible to replace worn-out cushions and other components, prolonging the life of the products. Ercol offers a reCover service to supply replacement cushions.[citation needed]
Awards
[edit]Ercol and its employees have been awarded a number of Guild Marks by the Furniture Makers' Company, including:
- 15 Bespoke Guild Marks[5]
- a Design Guild Mark in 2010 for the Treviso desk by Matthew Hilton[6][7]
- a Design Guild Mark in 2015 for the Svelto round stacking stool by Lisa Gould Sandall[8][7]
Activities
[edit]Ercol partnered with design magazine Wallpaper for an installation at the 2009 London Design Festival – a modern interpretation of the Chair Arch, which was exhibited in the Central Courtyard of the V&A Museum in September 2009.
In May 2023, Grown in Britain, an organization dedicated to safekeeping British forests, partnered with Ercol to launch a line of furniture including the Marino chair and Pebble nest.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ McConnell, Anita (23 September 2004). "Ercolani, Lucian Randolph (1888–1976), furniture designer and manufacturer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/46982. Retrieved 4 November 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Trade mark number UK00000495084". trademarks.ipo.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "ercol and the Board of Trade". ercol timeline. ercol corporate website. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "hcl architects - Ercol Furniture Factory". www.hcla.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Bespoke Guild Mark | Ercol". furnituremakers.org.uk. Furniture Makers' Company. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ "Treviso Desk". furnituremakers.org.uk. Furniture Makers' Company. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b Woodham, Jonathan (19 May 2016). A Dictionary of Modern Design. Oxford University Press. pp. 233–234. ISBN 978-0-19-251853-8.
- ^ "Svelto Round Stacking Stool". furnituremakers.org.uk. Furniture Makers' Company. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ "Ercol launch iconic Marino chair in GiB certified ash". Grown In Britain. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Ercolani, Lucian R. (1975). A Furniture Maker: His Life, His Works and His Observations. Ernest Benn. ISBN 9780510000110.
- Jackson, Lesley (2020). Ercol: Furniture in the Making. Richard Dennis Publications. ISBN 9780957209534.
