COLLECTED WORKS
‘MOUSEMAN’ Carved Oak
obert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson is one of the most distinctive and best-loved of 20th century English woodworkers and furniture makers. The distinctive carved mouse that he incorporated as a trademark into virtually all of his work from 1919 onwards – and registered as a logo in 1931 – is still used today by the thriving workshop he founded in Kilburn on the North York Moors. Thompson was born in Kilburn in 1876, the son of a local joiner. In his teens he visited Ripon cathedral, whose magnificent medieval woodcarvings inspired him with a passion for English oak and a determination to revive “the spirit of medieval oak work”. It was a commission from nearby Ampleforth College, completed immediately after the First World War, that established Robert’s reputation. It earned him further commissions from Ampleforth and further afield, enabling him to recruit new craftsmen to his workshop and pass his skills on to a new generation of apprentices. By the time he died in 1955 he was head of a workforce of more than 30.
Magnificent Modelling
Robert Thompson’s work can be seen in churches, cathedrals and public buildings across the British Isles, with local examples including St Mary’s church in Richmond and St Gregory’s church in Bedale. In addition to large-scale projects, the ‘Mouseman’ workshop produced – and still produces – a wide range of domestic pieces ranging from napkin rings, ashtrays and book ends to massive tables and sideboards. 104 | SPRING 2021 | Dales Life
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