A Guide to Vintage Ercol Dining Tables

Ercol tables rank among our most popular items. 

This may come as no surprise.

After all, solid wood tables can handle just about anything you can chuck at them.

What is more, they are also relatively easy to work with if you ever find yourself needing to remove ring marks, scuffs and other blemishes.

And that’s before we’ve even discussed the iconic Ercol shape, which, it would appear, has a seemingly endless appeal.

If you’ve come to our site to look for a vintage Ercol dining table, we recommend you read the following so you can be sure you make the purchase that’s right for you. 

We’ll start with the smallest and work our way up to the largest. 

Ercol Breakfast Table (393, 395, 396)

The Ercol Breakfast Table brings mid century charm to any interior theme.

The slight dimensions of this table (which is available in oval, rectangular and square shapes) won’t suit everyone but it makes a welcome addition to homes where space is at a premium.

It is also ideal for anyone with an existing dining room set up who wants to create a second, smaller eating or study area in another room in their house.

A built-in shelf even means you can store place mats out of sight and keep your table top clear of clutter.

Note, these tables are becoming increasingly rare so expect to pay a premium.

Seats: Up to 4

View Breakfast Tables

Ercol Oval Drop-Leaf Table (383)

This table is perfect for modest kitchen and dining areas.

Fitted with two drop leaves, this table can seat up to six diners. Aim for four, however, and everyone will be comfortable.

Fold those leaves down and it can be placed along a wall to enable you to get the very most from the available space in your home.

The really good news is that this elm and beech table is both lightweight and sturdy (as is most vintage Ercol furniture) so you’ll be able to manoeuvre it with ease and confidence. 

In case you were wondering, the leaves are held in place with durable, sliding rods which are designed to cope with extensive use.

This is also the case with all the Ercol drop-leaf tables on this list.

Seats: Up to 6

View Ercol oval drop-leaf table

Ercol Square Drop-Leaf Table (492)

The Ercol square drop-leaf table is very similar to the oval equivalent.

However, this table is probably better suited to small/ medium kitchen and dining areas.

The sole reason for that is the dimensions, which are, as you may have guessed, greater.

(As a rule, oval/ round tables are better than square tables in smaller spaces. See our dining table guide for more.)

There’s next to nothing in it at the widest points but just know you will need more space to accommodate the diagonals of the square shape.

These tables also look quite different in situ. It’s difficult to recommend one over the other as your choice will almost always come down to preference.

We would, however, advise that you allow your decision to be influenced by some of the shapes that are already present throughout your theme. 

Seats: 6

View Ercol square drop-leaf table

Ercol Plank Drop-Leaf Table (383)

The plank drop-leaf sits somewhere in between the oval and the square drop-leaf tables in the Ercol range.

As such, it is absolutely ideal for narrow kitchen or dining areas.

There is also something about the dimensions of this table that we find infinitely pleasing.

It is both highly compact and full of character when the leaves are down; when the leaves are up, it provides elbow room that the other drop-leaf tables in the Ercol collection cannot match.

Of course, this comes at the cost of depth, so it’s all about your preference and your needs but that doesn’t change how much we love this design.

The bad news is, however, that they tend to be harder to source than the alternatives.

Seats: 6

View Ercol plank drop-leaf table

Ercol Plank Top (382)

The Ercol plank top table brings a sense of permanence to a dining room that only one other Ercol table can rival.

While every table on this list so far has been about making the most of the space that is available to you, the plank top is an unapologetic slab of solid wood that isn’t really bothered by the size of your home.

Well, that’s not quite true actually.

Technically, it’s made up of a handful of strips of solid wood and its narrow form means it can sit easily in narrow rooms but let’s not let the truth get in the way of a good sales pitch.

In all seriousness, though, the longer frame gives this table a more spacious feel than the drop-leaf alternatives.

As such we’d recommend it for home owners before we’d recommend it for tenants, as the latter’s next move is more likely to be to a smaller residence than the former’s.

Seats: 8

View Ercol plank table

Ercol Grand Windsor (444)

The Ercol Grand Windsor dining table (sometimes referred to as a five-leg table) is the sum total of all the other tables on this list.

It features an extending mechanism, which can be stowed away under the table top when not required, and a wide frame that creates the sense of permanence we alluded to in the previous entry.

Long story short, it is a triumph of craftsmanship.

You will, however, need a lot of space as they run past 2m when fully extended.

If you’ve got it, however, you’re unlikely to regret adding one of these to your set up.

What’s more, you’ll also be able to seat as many as ten diners around it, so you can entertain without limits.

Seats: 10

View Ercol Grand Windsor table

Features Common to the Ercol Dining Tables We Source

• Solid wood frame (beech) and table top (elm). This makes them both striking and durable.
• Lightweight, sturdy construction.
• Iconic, splayed-leg design (note, some vintage Ercol dining tables come with refectory legs. We tend to steer clear of these as they eat into legroom and don’t look as good in small spaces).
• All our Ercol tables have been restored and refinished to excellent vintage condition.