Featured What age is my table?

Hi I am in the UK Northamptonshire to be precise and recently I got this table and I am wondering about its age. It was sold as a lovely Georgian table is it? Needs some TLC though.

Its giving me mixed messages about age what are your thoughts?

The legs seems more Anne than Georgian to me, the hinges seem to be nailed/riveted rather than screwed. The pegged parts seem square into round holes. This all makes me think it's old pre machine made. Yet the leg stops are screwed in with what look like machined screws this would indicate a later production although they look like they may have been added later.

The table is 75cm tall, 93cm wide and 122cm with both leaves up.

Regards Geoff

 

I'm just a crazy Yank, but a) old for sure and b) welcome! Iron doesn't get to looking like that unless it's been around for a looooong time, when it hasn't been out in the elements.

 

Here's a Georgian piece-think yours has a load more character (personality)-beautiful. Ignore the Chairish price,also been heavily restored IMHO-
https://www.chairish.com/product/14923342/georgian-oak-gate-leg-dining-table
@verybrad

 

Thanks thats a good point although I don't know if it has been in the elements had some mildew on when I picked it up and so I have cleaned it and dried it out.

 

Thanks thats comforting to know asked initially on reddit the same question and had wildly different replies one person said looks Georgian to him, another person said 20th century piece certainly no older than late 19th century. They mentioned the pivot block and edge profile weren't Georgian, no tangential shrinkage, and no halved stile and rail.

 

Thank you. Thats what I like about this table its certainly got character yes it's not the most refined piece. But it has its history etched all over it, sadly im not that good at translating it! Its shows signs of age certainly the rust, cracking of wood, uneven fading of the finish, stains on the tabletop, old pre machine construction techniques and woodworm(hopefully dormant) and wear on the base where you'd expect feet to have rubbed.

 

I found that some of those issues aren't issues if it's a country piece. The shrinkage is the only issue I guess yet some pieces I have seen on antique sites don't show much shrinkage either.

 

I guess my only question about this is why it has a multi-board top? Shouldn't we expect something of this age to have single boards used for each of the 3 sections?

 

By then I'd wonder if British oaks that size weren't difficult to find. If it was a farm piece made of local trees, the big ones were probably logged out.

 

I am really glad I bought this table it was I think a bargain I paid £30 on Ebay. I was looking for a dining room table that was foldable to save space. I was almost gonna get a modern table on amazon which also had folding chairs that stored inside, yet upon reading the reviews decided that for the price £200, the quality and materials really weren't good enough (a lot of reports of things breaking). This led me to looking on Ebay for something more substantial, my reasoning that an older table has lasted all these years will last many more as I am careful with my purchases.
I also acquired 6 Ikea wooden folding chairs to go with I know they don't match yet they only cost me £25. I didn't expect the added bonus of learning about historic furniture construction techniques and the history of oak and its uses, honestly it's fascinating and I appreciate all your help and insights. I am planning to treat the woodworm areas (which I think aren't active anymore but why not) give the table a gentle clean then i'm gonna use some renaissance wax on the table to give it a protective coating and uniformity without spoiling the character of the table.

 

Bingo,no brainer, big congrats !

 

20 quid for an oak table over 200 years old? No brainer seconded. It's a crying shame country Georgian oak is going for pennies, but that's a good rescue. In the old days, a 20 pound note would have covered the VAT, maybe.

 

Yeah it is a shame that such good furniture is going to waste. honestly the price I paid was another reason I was questioning its advertised age.

 

These days it's out of style, and can often be had at auction for nothing much of nothing. Or could. It may be coming back a little, as younger people discover that it's cheaper than flatpack by a wide margin.

 

cheaper.............. but NOT CHEAP !!

 

Just saw this solid oak Jacobean Revival table at a sale this morn-$40.No room for furniture and no venues to sell it,so we had to leave it. Solid oak and quite heavy-I'm guessing 1920's to 1940's.
@verybrad any guesses how old or who made it (and is it indeed Jacobean Revival)-thanks sir !

 

Think you have this right. Probably English. Doubt it is as late as the 40s, though styles seem to have been made longer there than here.