Yorkshire has a fine pedigree of quality oak furniture – largely thanks to the influence of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson, the acclaimed furniture maker from Kilburn, North Yorkshire who was part of the 1920’s revival of craftsmanship inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement led by William Morris, John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle. His trademark was a carved mouse on each of the pieces of his furniture and this tradition was adopted by his ‘disciples’, who followed his style of working in Yorkshire oak.
There are a number of skilled craftsmen that have left Robert Thompsons and have traded with their own unique signatures and one of these was the master cabinetmaker and wood carver Colin Beaverman Almack, who was trained by Robert Thompson in the 1940s. His trademark was a beaver and he went on to found his own workshop in the nearby village of Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe in 1960.
We are pleased to announce that we have recently acquired from two private estates a number of Beaverman pieces purchased from Colin in the 1970’s
These pieces include a lovely adzed oak drop leaf dining table with 8 dining chairs including 2 carvers each chair carved with a harp designs to the backs and the carvers also having Yorkshire rose carvings.
Today Beaver Furniture can be found in private homes and public buildings across the globe, from Europe to Australia. Specialist commissions have included work for Eton and Ampleforth Colleges and the Chapter House at London’s Southwark Cathedral.
