Posted on

Thomas ‘Gnomeman’ Whittaker

Does the name Thomas Whittaker mean anything to you?

It does to us, Thomas ‘Gnomeman’ Whittaker (1910-1991) was an English Oak craftsman based in Littlebeck, a village close to the coastal town of Whitby in North Yorkshire.

Whittaker carved a little gnome into each item which left his workshop. It has been debated whether Whittaker carved the motif as according to fables… for each oak seed that sprouts, a gnome is born which will guard the tree throughout its journey. However, we do know that each of his pieces are hand carved of the finest quality and nowadays, are highly collectable.

Whittaker certainly was a very sought after craftsman in his time and fortunately, we currently have a variety of his pieces in stock..  To see examples of his work, please explore our website or visit our showrooms in Barnard Castle… you may even wonder why each Gnome shares a different mood?- we certainly prefer the happy ones!

Posted on

UK RECORD for Mouseman Piece

On the 15th June last year, we travelled down to the delightful town of Ilkley in West Yorkshire and purchased this sideboard. Measuring at a whopping 91 inches in length, the fully adzed burr oak sideboard was made by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson in the early 1930’s.

While, the hammer eventually fell at £20,000 for the item (breaking a then UK record in the process), even the slightest glance towards the sideboard can leave you speechless. We find it fascinating that craftsman can make such impressive items!

Therefore, rare pieces like this sideboard showcase why we at Ingnet are so passionate towards the work of Yorkshire Oak craftsman Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson.

Here’s to seeing another one in my life time!

mousemanrecord