Based in North Yorkshire, it is fitting that Elstob Auctioneers has a department dedicated to the work of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson (1876 – 1955). Thompson set up a business making oak furniture at Kilburn, near Thirsk, which famously featured a carved mouse on almost every piece. He was an important part of the 1920s revival of craftsmanship inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement led by William Morris, John Ruskin and William Carlyle, and in turn, had his own followers of Yorkshire craftsmen working predominantly in English oak.
His work is now much sought-after both in Yorkshire and further afield. The now famous trademark is still used today in the workshop run by his descendants.
David Elstob has a long-held passion for the work of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson and his ‘disciples’, and it was the subject of his Masters degree in Antiques. If you have any Mouseman originals or other pieces of Yorkshire oak furniture, then David would love to hear from you.
