Robert (Mouseman) Thompson (7 May 1876 – 8 December 1955)

A British furniture maker. He lived in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, where he set up a business manufacturing oak furniture, which featured a carved mouse onalmost every piece.

It is claimed that the mouse motif came about accidentally in 1919 following a conversation about "being as poor as a church mouse", which took place between Thompson and one of his colleagues during the carving of a cornice for a screen.

This chance remark led to him carving a mouse and this remained part of his work from this point onwards.

He was part of the 1920s revival of craftsmanship, inspired by the Art s andCrafts movement led by William Morris, John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle .The workshop, now being run by his descendants, includes a showroom andvi sitors' centre, and is located beside the Parish Church, which contains
"Mouseman" pews, fittings and other furniture.

Father Paul Nevill, a former Headmaster of Ampleforth College, asked Thompson to make the Ampleforth Abbey's furniture.   It was liked so much that
Ampleforth kept asking Tho mpson for more works, including the library andmost of the main building.

Most of Ampleforth College houses are decorated with Robert Thompson's furniture.

The company is still working today.

Follow this link for full details. robertthompsons.co.uk

The Mouseman Visitor centre is the home of the Robert Thompson Museum showing some unique pieces created by Robert himself.