Sutherland Dining Table
A sutherland dining table offers a clever folding design that expands for meals and tucks away neatly when not in use.
Sutherland Dining Table
A sutherland dining table is a narrow drop leaf table supported by swing legs that fold parallel to a slim central gate when closed. These pieces date principally from the Victorian and Edwardian periods, alongside a few earlier George III examples and nineteenth century country interpretations.
How They Were Made
Cabinet makers constructed these tables using timbers such as walnut, burr walnut, and mahogany, often enhanced with satinwood banding or fine inlaid details. The drop leaves attach to a fixed central top via hinged joints, supported by pivoting gate legs.
Hardware includes brass and ceramic castors fitted to the base of the legs to ensure smooth movement when folding the leaves. Structural framing relies on sturdy wooden pivots and pin joints designed to bear the weight of the hinged flaps.
Sutherland Dining Table Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for sutherland dining table among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
The listings span the Victorian and Edwardian periods, incorporating woods such as walnut, mahogany, burr walnut, and pine.
What Varies in Quality
Quality rests upon the choice of timber figure, particularly the richness of burr walnut veneers or the depth of polished mahogany. Superior examples display precise joinery in the gate leg mechanism, ensuring the leaves remain level and stable when extended.
Refinement in the turning of the legs and the subtlety of decorative stringing or inlay distinguish high grade pieces from simpler kitchen or rustic country versions.
The Sutherland Dining Table Glossary
- Drop leaf table
- A table with a fixed central section and hinged flaps that fold down at the sides. These leaves are supported by swing legs when raised.
- Gate leg
- A leg hinged to swing outward from the table frame like a gate to support a drop leaf. This construction provides stable support for the extended flaps.
- Burr walnut
- Timber sliced from walnut tree growths that produce intricate, swirling grain patterns. It was frequently used for high grade Victorian table tops.
- Satinwood banding
- A narrow strip of pale exotic wood inlaid around the border of a table top. This technique adds decorative contrast to darker timbers like mahogany.
Sutherland Dining Table: Frequently Asked Questions
How many people fit at a sutherland dining table?
These tables comfortably seat four people when both drop leaves are fully raised and supported by the gate legs.
When folded down into their narrow profile, they sit against a wall to save floor space.
How do you operate the folding leaves?
Each drop leaf is supported by a pivoting wooden leg that swings outward from the centre base.
You simply lift the leaf and rotate the leg into position underneath to lock the surface in place.
What woods were used for these tables?
Victorian and Edwardian examples commonly utilise walnut, burr walnut, and mahogany for their primary surfaces.
Some rustic nineteenth century pieces employ alternative timbers such as pine or oak.
Were these tables used for dining?
While many served as occasional or side tables, larger formats were specifically constructed as dining height tables.
The slim profile allowed them to function in smaller rooms where permanent large furniture was impractical.