Mouseman

Robert “Mousey” Thompson was a British furniture maker who lived between 7th May 1876 and 8th December 1955. Robert Thompson lived in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, where he started his business as a manufacturer of oak furniture. He is perhaps most famous for his carved mouse trademark that is a hallmark of every piece of Mouseman furniture. Hence, he is popularly known as “Mousey”, “Mouseman” or “The Mouseman of Kilburn”. It is speculated and claimed that the “mouse” trademark came about accidentally in 1919, after Robert had a conversation with one of his colleagues about “being as poor as a church mouse”. Robert was carving a cornice for a screen at that time and this random remark inspired him to create a carving of a mouse, which subsequently became a trademark for all his works.

Robert Thompson was a part of the Arts and Crafts movement, which was a snub to the automation and mechanisation of a craftsman’s work, which took place in the late 19th century, after the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the birth of mass production.

Robert’s company is now known as "Robert Thompson's Craftsmen Ltd - The Mouseman of Kilburn". His workshop is now run by his descendants and presently includes a showroom and a visitors' centre. The Mouseman Visitor Centre is located beside the Parish Church and holds "Mouseman" pews, fittings and other furniture on display.