Written by Robert (Mouseman) Thompson (1876 – 1955) was a British furniture maker, based in Kilburn, North Yorkshire. Thompson’s trademark was a carved mouse, which appears on every piece he made from 1919 onward, hence the moniker “Mouseman”. The story surrounding the iconic trademark, as told by Robert Thompson himself, was that one of his craftsmen remarked that they “were as poor as a church mouse”, immediately after which Thompson carved a mouse on the church screen he was working on. This led to the mouse carving becoming a trademark of Thompson’s, which remains to this day.
Thompson was part of the 1920’s revival of craftsmanship, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, lead by William Morris, Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin. His workshop is still in operation today, now being run by his descendants, and is located beside the Kilburn Parish Church, which features “Mouseman” pews, fittings and other carved “Mouseman” furniture. The company is now known as “Robert Thompson’s Craftsmen Ltd – The Mouseman of Kilburn”
Please see the below gallery for examples of Mouseman’s work which was sold at Anthemion Auctions.
