2009/23

Ercol (Manufacturer)

This rocking chair was designed and made by Ercol of High Wycombe. It is design number 435 in the 'Goldsmith' range of furniture, and dates from the 1960s - the Goldsmith range was later discontinued in the early 1980s. Lucian Ercolani, the founder of Ercol, started making furniture in High Wycombe in 1920, and later exhibited at the 'Britain Can Make It' exhibition in 1946 and the 'Festival of Britain' in 1951.

Rocking chair; wood (beech); two wooden arms; padded seat cover; good condition

MERL OLIB database note – 'Goldsmith rocking chair from the 1960s, design number 435. The Goldsmith range was discontinued in the early 1980s. Lucian Ercolani, a young Italian designer, started making furniture in High Wycombe in 1920. His big break came in 1944 when he won an order from the Board of Trade for 100,000 low-cost chairs which he met by re-working the basic Windsor form into a chair that could be mass-produced. He went on to exhibit at the Britain Can Make It exhibition in 1946 and the Festival of Britain in 1951 where the light, simple but modern feel of his new-look Windsor furniture was a hit with cash-strapped post-War home makers. Many of the classic Ercol lines are still produced today, along with more contemporary styles, at the firm's purpose-built factory now located in Princes Risborough.', MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Goldsmith style rocking chair, design number 435, made by Ercol of High Wycombe, Bucks. // These chairs were in production from the 1960s - the early 1980s. // Padded seat cover with floral-patterned fabric. // ... Purchased as part of the Collecting 20thc Rural Culture project.' // References // www.ercol.com'

High Wycombe

1960 - 1970

Wood, beech, Fibre

Turned, Sawn, Stitched

Ercolani, Lucian (Designer)