An excellent example of the earlier made Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson Oak Cheeseboard which features a signature mouse carved to the platter and the taller curved handle. To reduce the risk of handle breakage the mouse carving was moved in around 1960 onto the handle neck area to help strengthen it. Over the subsequent decades, as thinner oak was used, the handle and mouse carving height was also reduced.
Wonderful condition, aged medium fumed colour to the wood, some minor knife cuts on the board to evidence earlier usage as originally intended and a small nick in the tail.
An excellent example of the highly popular solid oak Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson standard lamp, the tapered adzed octagonally carved central column leading down to a stepped, swept and facetted octagonal base with a mouse signature in high relief.
Medium oak colour, brass BC22 bayonet bulb fitting and new period braided three core earthed wiring which we think looks much better than the pvc sheathed wiring on Mouseman lamps.
A rare solid oak ashtray by the former Mouseman craftsman Lyndon ‘Cat & Mouseman’ Hammill of Harmby near Leyburn. Of large rectangular and stepped form with his signature carved to the top, together with the ash bowl.
An excellent and rare to market solid oak ashtray from Derek ‘Lizardman’ Slater of Crayke who trained and worked with Alan Grainger at Acorn Industries. Lovely depth of colour, no stains or damage and his signature lizard carved in high relief.
Derek’s early solo work features a fish carving but he later adopted the lizard carving after Martin Dutton, the original ‘Lizardman’ retired. Their work is often confused, but each had a distinctive way of carving their own lizard.
An exceptionally rare surviving example of an early Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson Two Tier Heritage Oak Occasional Table. Beautifully proportioned with adzed quarter sawn and nail pinned oak shelves supported on rails with halfpenny moulded rails and standing on four superb and unusually carved legs, the design influenced by the medieval and later architectural carving details that Robert was so inspired by. An early signature mouse is carved to one leg.
Sympathetically cleaned and re-waxed, retaining its naturally aged character. The top adzed surface was heavily water stained, no doubt from a large plant pot, the rest very dry. We’ve successfully removed the staining and decided to just fill any splitting with wax, all photographed in the gallery below.
Excellent provenance, from the estate of James Thompson-Schwab of Kingfield House, Penton, Cumbria whose parents and grandparents were very early clients of Robert’s and commissioned a significant number of pieces, several of which we have been fortunate to acquire.
The image gallery below contains several images of this original piece in ‘as purchased’ condition photographed side by side with a modern bespoke commissioned piece we’ve recently sold (see DS2842 in our sold archive). The client had it commissioned by Robert Thompson’s from photographs of the original. Some subtle differences can be seen in the two pieces, their manufacture separated by approximately 90 years of Mouseman furniture making history.
An excellent unused and rare to market solid oak ashtray by the ex Mouseman craftsman Martin’Lizardman’ Dutton of Huby, North Yorkshire. mediumfumed colour with a subtly tooled upper surface and his distinctive fluidly carved lizard signature.
Martin Dutton (1921-2009) of Huby, Nr York was a talented craftsman who trained and worked at Thompson’s through the war years. His solo work from the late 40s onwards bears his distinctive Lizard carving. Martin, who was deaf from birth, later became the senior woodwork teacher at the Yorkshire Residential School for the Deaf in Doncaster, the lizard carving later continued by his associate Yorkshire craftsman Derek Slater who had trained and worked at Acorn Industries for Alan Grainger.
An excellent solid oak glazed bookcase by the ‘Yorkshire Critters’ craftsman Geoff Gell of Coxwold Cabinetmakers, established in 1987. Features twin doors with bevelled glass and brass handles, opening to reveal three adjustable shelves. Geoff’s signature unicorn to the lower right on the plinth base.
A superb example of the extremely popular early made 9″ diameter solid oak fruitbowl by Robert Thompson, the ‘Mouseman’ of Kilburn. A particularly thick sided bowl, tooled all over with a wonderful signature mouse carved to the exterior side of the bowl. From about 1960 the bowls have been larger but shallower, and the mice have been carved to the centre of the bowl.
Excellent condition and patina with lovely darker fumes aged colour, no wood splits or repairs, just the usual expected minor fruit acid marking in the bowl from usage, adding to the character and patina of these sought after bowls.
A rare very early domestic 6′ rectangular refectory style dining table, complete with a set of nine very early burr oak panel backed dining chairs with original interwoven leather upholstery.
The 6′ length table with a three plank adzed and dowelled top, supported on rare and unusual twin adzed cruciform legs with a floor set stretcher. A distinctive and prominent mouse carved to the front facet of one leg. The table prsents with wonderful colour and patina following a sympathetic clean and refinish to accentuate the rich darker fumed and aged colour tones of the wood.
There are nine chairs in total in the set, more than can comfortably be seated around the table, leaving one or more free for use elsewhere around the home. In our experience 6′ dining tables seat 6 in comfort, eight when required, as shown in the image gallery below. The chairs have been re-glued and re-pinned to ensure stability by our professional restoration partner David Podmore at A G Podmore & Sons, York. The frames then sympathetically cleaned and wax polished in-house, the interwoven seat leathers cleaned and re-conditioned, the aim always being to retain originality and patina. The burr oak inlaid back panels are superb and without any breakages.
Excellent provenance, from the estate of James Thompson-Schwab of Kingfield House, Penton, Cumbria whose parents and grandparents were very early clients of Robert’s and commissioned a significant number of pieces, several of which we have been fortunate to acquire and sell recently.
We have a preference to sell the table and chairs as a set, believing it would be a shame to have to split them. However, if it proves difficult to find a new home for the set we will consider offers for the table and chairs sold separately.
An excellent example of a solid oak Book Trough made by the former mouseman craftsman Peter ‘Rabbitman’ Heap of Wetwang, near Driffield with his signature carved rabbit carved prominently to the top right side panel. Finished in a medium fumed and wax polished with wonderful medullary ray graining to the book ledge.
Rarer to the market than the equivalent mouseman item.
Currently in our showroom storage area, awaiting a full sympathetic clean and refinish which will include stripping the worn varnish from the top. It will make a fine and interesting piece when completed.
A most interesting 4’6″ kidney shaped coffee table by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson with a thick adzed single plank top and signature mouse carved to the side edge. Visible wedged joints in the table top confirm it originally stood on four splayed and tapered octagonally carved legs and the overall height would probably have been taller than the current height. It looks to us that one of the legs has broken at some point in the past, likely to be in the 1970s, and a decision was then made cut off the original legs and have a new shorter design of leg professionally made to turn it into a coffee table. It’s not known who made the replacement legs, it doesn’t look like Robert Thompson’s work to us, but is likely to be a well trained craftsman as the joints are typical Yorkshire school pegged and glued construction, the leg design very much in the arts and crafts traditional design.
Provenance: St. Martin’s Prep School at Kirkdale Manor, Nawton, near Helmsley. Gifted to a long standing teacher when the school closed in 2001 and sourced sourced directly from them recently.
A stunning and very rare bespoke commissioned early solid oak 5’5″ sideboard / cupboard by Robert ‘Mousman’ Thompson of Kilburn. Of adzed all over rectangular form with a twin planked top with curved tails carved to the front corner edges, standing on four legs with decorative chamfers to the inside front. To the front, a fixed central panel with ornate decorative carving and latched doors either side, again with intricate decorative scrolled carving, opening to reveal the inner storage areas. Complimented by wrought iron latches and hinges. Single adzed side panels with twin plank panels to the rear. An early signature mouse with raised head is carved to one side leg, likely to be one of the rare instances of being a later addition, when numerous other items where commissioned for the family and after Robert had developed his now famous mouse signature, thought to be in 1923/24, but not trade registered until 1931.
Beautiful colour and patina, some expected slight plank joint splitting to the ends of the top and in one of the rear planks. Slight traces of a bowl or large vase being placed centrally on the top which we decided to leave as removal may have been detrimental to the colour and patina.
The design inspiration for this unique piece is heavily influenced by a 15th century piece in Louth church, Lincolnshire, now known as ‘Sudbury’s Hutch’, so named having been donated to the church by vicar Thomas Sudbury. Robert clearly admired the medieval craftsmanship of this particular piece as he also went on to produce his own replica copy of ‘Sudbury’s Hutch’, possibly for another client, copying the original carvings of Henry V11 and Elizabeth of York in the door panels, together with the tudor roses of the Houses of Lancaster and York. Bought back many years later by Robert Thompson’s descendent’s, it now has pride of place in their workshop museum at Kilburn. Enclosed in the image montage below are photographs of the original 15th C piece and Robert Thompson’s replica from circa 1930; the design influences are striking.
Excellent provenance, from the estate of James Thompson-Schwab of Kingfield House, Penton, Cumbria whose parents and grandparents were very early clients of Robert’s and commissioned a significant number of pieces, several of which we have been fortunate to acquire.
