Ercol

File:Princes Risborough, ercol workshop and showroom - geograph.org.uk - 749399.jpg

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.{{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}}

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 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.{{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}}

=World War II=

At the beginning of the Second World War, the Ercol factory was repurposed to contribute to the war effort, initially making tent pegs from pieces of wood too small for other uses. Over the course of the war Ercol produced 36 million such pegs. 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.{{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}} Windsor chairs were constructed with a bentwood frame and an arched back supporting delicate spindles, using the steam bending of English elm. Before this, elm was not generally used for furniture because of its tendency to warp; Ercolani developed a new drying process for the wood to combat this. 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}}

=Post-war=

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}}

=21st century=

In 2002, Ercol moved to a new facility, purpose built for the company, in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire,{{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}} 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 and its employees have been awarded a number of Guild Marks by the Furniture Makers' Company, including:

15 Bespoke Guild Marks{{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}}
a Design Guild Mark in 2010 for the Treviso desk by Matthew Hilton{{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}}{{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}}
a Design Guild Mark in 2015 for the Svelto round stacking stool by Lisa Gould Sandall{{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}}

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.{{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}}