Ercol Windsor Furniture Story, Part 2

Up to 1954 the basic Windsor dining chair, as exemplified by the 4A Chair and the 139 Chair, had a bow back with six spindles. The 280 Contemporary Windsor Chair (1954) marked a significant departure with its curved horizontal seatback and diagonal criss-crossing sticks. Praised by The Cabinet Maker for their ‘attractively interlaced backs’ and ‘spaced shapes’, these chairs rank amongst Ercolani’s most original designs. As well as being visually arresting, the ‘latticed and shaped stick back’ had a ‘natural springiness, which gives extra comfort, strength and reliability,’ explained the company. Because this chair was so innovative structurally, it could not be produced using existing machinery, so six months was spent designing and making a new boring machine in order to enable it to be put into production. The original version was twice remodelled over the next three years. Although the lattice back remained a constant throughout, in the 306 Windsor Dining Chair (1955) the H-shaped stretcher was replaced by pairs of diagonal criss-crossing spindles. This feature was retained in the 376 Dining Chair (1957), but the fiddle-shaped seat was replaced by an oyster-shaped seat and its legs were more splayed.

The 287 Chair (1954), ‘a sturdy all-purpose Windsor chair’ with a wider bow and four attenuated diamond-shaped splats, was designed for ‘beauty, strength and comfort.’ Produced with special hard-wearing lacquer or enamel finishes, as well as in natural or antique wax, the 287 Chair was a high performance heavy-duty model suitable for contract use, marketed with the Ercol Gold Seal. The same distinctive seatback, offering good lumbar support, was used on the low-slung 288 Nursing Chair (1954) and the 289 Nursing Rocking Chair (1954), both with an optional drawer underneath the seat.