An Arts & Crafts Yorkshire School English Oak Dining Table by Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson. A lovely example of a Mouseman table, which is clearly of considerable age. Featuring:

• Solid English Oak throughout.

• Rectangular top made out of just two continuous pieces of very well figured quarter-sawn oak.

• Shaped octagonal supports with sledge feet joined by a stretcher.

• Subtly adzed (the subtle surface rippling synonymous with Yorkshire School furniture).

• Traditional blind tenons secured with hand made pegs.

• Very well figured quarter-sawn English Oak (quarter-sawing is a way of sawing oak to produce boards with superior strength which also reveals decorative 'medullary rays' in its grain).

Approximate dimensions are:

• Overall Length 1370mm (4 feet 5 3/4 inches).

• Overall Width 740mm (2 feet 5 inches).

• Overall Height 730mm (2 feet 4 1/2 inches) [A standard height for a dining table].

• Top Thickness 33mm ( 1 1/4 inch).

Robert Thompson's famous finely carved mouse motif on one support.

Good condition and rich colour. Edges of the top, stretcher and feet all rounded off with many years of use, some wear to the mouse’s ears and a few marks and short scratches in the top. The top has been re-oiled. If you wish to have further specific photographs or talk to us for a more detailed condition report then please do not hesitate to contact us.

One of the most famous British furniture makers, who was part of the 1920s revival of craftsmanship, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement renowned for his pieces featuring a carved mouse and adzed surfaces. His pieces are always simple, solid, instantly recognisable and beautifully made out of fine materials. They are highly sought after.

The most British of woods, that can produce really special results. English oak has been used for hundreds of years to construct everything from sea-going vessels to fine furniture. Although oak grows widely across Europe and North America, craftsmen continue to cherish English oak which grows more slowly than its foreign counterparts giving it strength, durability. Quarter sawn boards are very straight grained and have distinctive growth rings and medullary rays that give a very beautiful effect as well as being renowned for their superior stability and strength.

The Yorkshire School of the Arts & Crafts movement started with Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson's  transformation from jobbing carpenter to master craftsmen. By the mid-1920s he had adopted his trademark mouse (now world renowned as a symbol of quality furniture) and had his own workshop busily employing several men. As the workshop grew and over the years many of the craftsmen have taken their skills and branched out and adopted a trademark of their own, a fox, a lizard, a fish, a rabbit to name but a few, and whilst some have closely stuck to the Mouseman designs others have taken the style and adapted it. Other craftsmen, unconnected to the Mouseman workshop, have also chosen the classic Yorkshire Oak style as their own. Typical Yorkshire school items are in English Oak, with traditional pegged joints and adzed surfaces.