Austin Friars 10

Austin Friar

The Newsletter of The Furniture Makers’ Company No. 10 – Summer 2012

The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers The City of London Livery Company for the British Furniture Industry furnituremakers.org.uk 1

The Master

Charles Vernon, our 51st Master Our membership of 350 has changed and broadened, particularly with the introduction of Corporate Membership, and we now have student members too.

We have more senior executives of furnishing related businesses than for many years and we aim in the future to have the majority of our industry’s CEOs as members.

The Master writes: “Since I first entered the industry 35 years ago, it has changed almost beyond recognition. At the time the UK had a very strong manufacturing Industry.

The retail scene was dominated by family owned retailers and departmental stores. The internet did not exist. The furniture industry in China generally produced very poor quality products.

People in offices sat at desks, not at workstations, computers were rare and mobile phones were still attached to cars.

There have been many challenges for the industry but we have adapted and learnt to develop our businesses to satisfy the changing market.

The British furnishing industry is now less of a manufacturing industry although that is still an important part of it – and more a dynamic and exciting industry that incorporates design, marketing, branding, and innovation. Despite a difficult economy, there has never been a more exciting and interesting time to work in furniture and furnishings than now.

Throughout, the Furniture Makers’ Company has maintained its fundamental objective: to promote our industry today and to shape it for tomorrow.

The most significant change in our history was probably the merger in February of our industry’s principal charity, the Furnishing Industry Trust, originally the FTBA founded in 1903, with the Worshipful Company to create one central organisation – the Furniture Makers. Collectively we can now focus firmly on our future role. The Furniture Makers are now the British furnishing industry’s central organisation, charity and patron.

As the patron of the industry, it is our prime responsibility to concentrate on the future and we must promote the industry in whatever way we can.

We need to be fully involved in making sure that there is sufficient training and development to meet the skills requirements of the future, something that will remain one of our most important roles. We need to stress the importance of good design training and make sure we raise the profile of British furniture design.

There’s one theme that I would like everyone in the industry to have in mind this year. We should be giving back to the industry. ‘Giving back’ means putting back into the industry everything it has given us: our experience, our skills, our passion and, of course, our money.

We should be giving back financially to help students and needy older people.

We should be giving back with our time, which the Company enables us to do through its many initiatives, and I urge you particularly to support and work

Front cover: Design Guild Mark 73 The ‘Animate’ Desk

by David Young for Young & Norgate

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with young people who want to enter our industry. We should be giving back through our businesses by ensuring that they prosper generating wealth, employment and opportunities for the leaders of the future.

The future of our industry is in the hands of people in or associated with the Furniture Makers. We have to ensure that it is an attractive and appealing industry for talented and creative young people to join, to keep the industry strong, and to ensure that it is still going strong in another fifty years.

In following many illustrious men – and one lady – as Master, I look forward to bringing my experience to the role, and to your support.”

Charles Vernon Master

The Charity has helped, does help, but needs to do more Why the industry needs to give back

struggling both financially and emotionally, and with no heat or hot water. With no other help available, we stepped in with a grant of £1,000 to enable him to replace a door and windows.

So far this year the Charity side of the Furniture Makers Company has given away nearly £92,000. The largest amount goes on our annuities of £15 a week to 149 elderly people from the industry. We have also spent almost £19,000 in one-off grants and for items ranging from washing machines, mattresses, beds and carpets to heating systems and mobility scooters. Here are a few examples of how we have helped in individual cases of hardship.

Mr H and his wife, both in their sixties, suffer from multiple health and mobility problems and the added pressure of looking after their grandson who suffers from epilepsy and their granddaughter. Due to his own health problems and still having to care for elderly parents, Mr H had to give up work. He suffers particularly from the cold, and so the couple approached us to request help with the cost of replacing their windows which were old and draughty. Working in conjunction with a number of other charities, a grant of £500 from us enabled the couple to replace the windows.

Following the recent breakdown of his relationship, Mr R had to move out of the home he shared with his partner and five children into a new property. Mr R was suffering from depression and anxiety, exacerbated by the fact that with no furniture in the house his children were unable to stay with him. With a grant of £300, Mr R was at least able to purchase a new bedroom carpet to make his house feel more like a home.

We have also been able to provide four families with much needed holidays through the Edenfield Holiday Scheme. It is due only to the generosity of our donors that we are able to continue to help people in this way. We rely on those in the industry to help: there is no one else.

Mr N worked in the industry for many years until he was involved in a serious car accident. Following the loss of his mother, a serious assault, then burglary and vandalism to his home, and receiving only minimum benefits, he found himself

And one way of doing so or who would want to be a clay pigeon?

inimitable and highly effective way) where lots included a TV and DVD Combi, an exclusive Labarre watch, memorabilia from the 1966 World Cup and a champagne balloon flight.

For those who were more of a ‘big miss’ than a ‘big shot’, Churchill’s kindly stepped in by donating a shooting lesson for four.

We held our annual ‘Big Shots’ fundraising event in June, the first to be held since the Company merged with the industry’s charity.

Now in its eighteenth year, Big Shots is a clay pigeon shooting competition, sponsored by Furniture Village, which pits teams of companies, trade bodies and other furniture organisations against each other, all to have fun while raising money for the those in need. The event was a huge success.

The Master, Charles Vernon, was there to cheer on the teams along with the Charity President, Hugh Garforth-Bles. The Furniture Makers’ newly appointed Clerk, Jonny Westbrooke, returned to his previous allegiance and led the FIRA team.

Everyone was pleased to see a team from Milton Keynes based 7 Rifles, our armed forces affiliate, shooting for fun rather than on active service.

Whether it was charitable goodwill or just the breakfast bacon butties, spirits ran high as 36 teams made their way through the impressive twelve stand course at EJ Churchill’s shooting grounds near High Wycombe and even the rain didn’t put a dampener on the day. Kyoto Futon’s team, ‘The Lost Samurai’, Graham Duff, Luke and Tracey Riddington and Nick Cancea, walked away with the ‘Top Gun’ prize for the winning team.

Charles Vernon’s summing up – “The day was a huge success raising over £xxxx for the charity. Events such as Big Shots play a vital role in helping the Furniture Makers support those from the furnishing industry most in need. Next year, the event will be Even Bigger Shots!”

There was also a Big Charity auction sponsored by Furniture Village and hosted by its founder Peter Harrison (in his own

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More Corporate Members and their Liverymen The new category of membership introduced in 2010

For this class of membership each Corporate Member, i.e. the company, normally nominates up to three of its executives to become its Corporate Liverymen. The six companies shown below have recently joined existing Corporate Members, Bisley, DFS, Dreams, Furniture Village, Herman Miller and Blum. We extend our congratulations and a very warm welcome to the Corporate Members and the Corporate Liverymen.

Willis & Gambier David Lane, Commercial Director Elliott Li, Finance Director Tony Morgan, Sales Director Founded 21 years ago, Willis & Gambier was acquired in 2008 by Samson Holdings to strengthen its presence in Europe. It is a market leader in design-led cabinet furniture for the domestic market. Core values are to produce beautifully designed furniture using appropriate woods and a mix of solid and veneered finishes to offer long lasting furniture at affordable prices. The company has relocated to a purpose built 200,000 sq ft distribution centre in Peterborough where Freeman Mark Symes is Managing Director. The company sponsors students at Nottingham Trent University and other projects in conjunction with the Furniture Makers’ student programme.

David Lane, Commercial Director, is a general manager who has been with Willis & Gambier since 2008. He is accomplished in training, motivating and building teams.

B&Q Billy Quinn, Director of Installations Justin Adgar, Installations Manager Ellen Morgan, Legal Compliance Manager In the year that man first landed on the moon, B&Q opened their first store in an old cinema in Southampton. Four decades on, the company is the largest home improvement retailer in Europe. In addition to 360 stores in the UK and Ireland, B&Q has 60 international stores including B&Q Beijing, which is now the largest B&Q store in the world with more than three million customers walking through the doors every week. In its last trading year B&Q’s sales were £3.8 billion.

Billy Quinn began his retail career at MFI leading regional sales teams and in 1998 he was appointed National Manager specialising in installations. He then joined Homebase in 2006 to develop their installation programme. Billy joined B&Q as Director of Installations in April 2011.

Harrods David Miller, Business Unit Director, Harrods Home Matthew Shields, Head of Retail, Furniture Pamela Taylor, Merchandise Manager, Furniture Harrods is probably the most iconic retail store in the world, with over one million sq ft of retail space on its island site in Knightsbridge where it moved before the 1851 Great Exhibition. Since 8 May 2010, the store has been owned by the Al Thani of Qatar. With over 800 international brands, Harrods Home has one of the widest lifestyle collections in the world ranging from contemporary and traditional home furnishings, home accessories and homewares to gourmet kitchenware, cutting-edge technology and home entertainment.

David Miller began his career as a graduate at Marks & Spencer, and after time at BHS, River Island and Habitat, he joined Harrods in 2005 as Business Unit Director for Harrods Home. Since then he has overseen a multi-million pound refurbishment strategy for the Home-specific floors.

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John Lewis Jason Wilary-Attew, Head of Buying, Furniture John Lewis was founded in 1864 but it was not until the early 20th century that John Spedan Lewis, eldest son of the founder, created its unique co-ownership concept.

The John Lewis Partnership now operates 36 John Lewis shops (29 department stores and seven ‘John Lewis At Home’s), johnlewis.com and 264 Waitrose supermarkets and the annual turnover is nearly £9bn. It is the UK’s largest example of co-ownership whereby the 81,000 staff are partners in the business with all sharing its profits and benefits.

Jason Wilary-Attew, after graduating in Industrial Product Design, joined Homebase as a trainee buyer and, after spells at Woolworths and then Heals, joined John Lewis in 2006. As well as all indoor and outdoor furniture, Jason works closely with designers creating new ranges. He has a ‘passion for retail’.

Chaucer Furniture Logistics Mandy Dunn, Director Scott Dunn, Director Chaucer Freight manages the challenges for furniture businesses that require a streamlined and cost effective distribution service nationally or worldwide.

Their integrated approach includes transport, logistics, inventory management, warehousing, added value services, project coordination and reverse logistics. Their strong customer relationships are complemented by specialist skills in supply chain management and freight forwarding.

Mandy Dunn has been involved in the Logistics Industry for over 20 years. Her involvement in the furniture sector saw her oversee Barclays’ move into its tower at Canary Wharf, the largest City move for 35 years. She runs the company with her husband Corporate Liveryman Scott Dunn.

Homebase Gordon McLaren, Head of Showroom Homebase is the UK’s leading home enhancement retailer and is recognised for choice, style and customer service. It has over 300 large stores throughout the UK and Ireland and sells over 38,000 products. Homebase serves more than 65 million customers a year and has an annual turnover of over £1.5 billion. It launched the ‘Create Your Own Look’ online decorating tool on its website in January 2012.

For the last eight years, Gordon McLaren has led Homebase’s showroom business introducing an installation service and a unique customer-centric service proposition.

Gordon has spent 28 years working in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom industry, including running his own business selling and installing bedrooms and kitchens. He also headed Sales and Installations at B&Q for four years.

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New Assistants

Three joined the Court in May Dids Macdonald “I consider it to be an honour and privilege to have been proposed by the current Master for election to the Court and I look forward to playing a key role. I have been involved indirectly in the furniture industry for 35 years first as a partner in a Chelsea based interior design company and latterly as a designer-maker. I launched ACID (Anti Copying in Design) of which I am now CEO because my products were consistently copied. ACID began informally in 1996 as a round table action group and has developed into a not for profit trade organisation representing over 1000 design-led companies within the creative industries. Lobbying for design reform has been high on my priorities for the last decade and we were delighted to see one of our objectives met recently with the extension of term for iconic designs before 1988 from 25 to 70 years.”

Alex Gifford “I feel very honoured to have been elected as an Assistant and I look forward to serving the Livery further as I have enjoyed doing over the last few years. I have worked in the furniture industry for thirteen years as an Interior Designer, Product Designer and Design Director. Before that, following an MA in Industrial Design Engineering from the RCA, I joined a Herman Miller dealership and fit-out firm for five years before my current employment at Kinnarps, a Swedish contract furniture manufacturer. I am fortunate in being able to work across many disciplines from engineering to design strategy to marketing and sales. The work of the Livery is of great importance to me, particularly the promotion of best practice in design and manufacturing. I sit on the Design Guild Mark and Corporate membership committees and I’m looking forward to supporting these and to other Livery activities in the future. A young family happily occupies me when I’m not working – the usual nappies, football and ballet!”

Andrew Corbett “I am honored to have been elected to the Court and look forward to serving as an active member.

Joining the foam industry in 1995, I worked for Hairlok and later for Woodbridge, Prima Foam, Kay-Metzeler and now Vitafoam. My career started as a prototype engineer and quickly progressed to sales and then to business manager.

I have run Prima Foam since 2005 and became commercial director of Vitafoam Furniture Conversion in 2010 where my responsibilities are the development of new foam products and business opportunities for Vitafoam and its customers.

I have been an active member of the FIRA Council since 2006 as well as a Liveryman of the Furniture Makers sitting on the Industry Training Committee. As a former Director of the FTBA and FIT I organised and participated in the National Three Peaks Challenge twice, organised the National Fishing Tournament for six consecutive years, and have done two skydives to raise money for the charity.

In 1993 I was diagnosed with cancer and given a very short time to live. I underwent trial treatment and a bone marrow transplant resulting in 19 years of remission.

Following a family tradition of parents, uncles and cousins, I married my nurse in 1994 and now have three lovely children. Hence I enjoy life more than most.

My hobbies include walking, shooting, fishing and watching rugby. I have travelled extensively and have lived and worked in the Middle East and Australia.”

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Jonny Westbrook – Chief Executive and Clerk “I feel most honoured to have become the Chief Executive and Clerk of the Furniture Makers. Starting as a Freeman in 2009, then a Liveryman in 2010 and, albeit briefly, a Court Assistant in 2011, I knew that the Company was “going places” but I had not realised just how friendly and how creative everyone is. I can see that this is a momentous time for the Livery while we put in place the changes needed to use the benefits of the merger to the full. It is an opportunity to re-evaluate what we do and why and, with the Strategy Document, we now have a broad vision for the future. It is my task to create the more detailed plan for achieving this vision.

We need to ensure that everyone, not just the Livery, but the furnishing industry as a whole, is aware that we are now, first and foremost, the industry’s charitable organisation. I will be talking to many of its leaders and organisations to understand what the modern industry wants and expects from its charity. By the end of the year we should have a clear, long term plan setting out a detailed path for our future and in doing so must “think big”. We are part of a major British industry and we should be seen to support it on a national scale. In particular I believe we must do more in education and training support, fields in which the industry lags behind and where we therefore have the opportunity to be particularly effective.”

Young Furniture Makers The students will be the industry’s leaders of tomorrow. To see all the students so passionate about furniture during this year’s Student Tour was truly inspiring and a message to everyone in the Hall office that young people are as enthusiastic and excited about furniture and furnishing as our members. With a total of 47 students having signed up as student members already, this is definitely the start of an exciting time for the Livery and for the furniture industry. A new committee – the Young Furniture Makers – has been set up and is chaired jointly by Liveryman Colin Morrell and recent graduate and new Freeman, Langton Stead.

The Young Furniture Makers has a Facebook page which provides an opportunity for furniture students

to connect with others in the industry to share experiences, knowledge, news and photos from, for example, Furniture Makers’ Student Courses – and to keep up to date with the latest events.

Combined with the new Facebook page dedicated to Hall events, the Livery is starting to embrace social networking.

Please visit our page and help support the industry’s students!

Student Bursaries MA Bursaries

BA Materials Grants

The Furniture Makers have awarded 2012 Progression Scholarships in Furniture to two extremely talented students, Mike Charlton from Plymouth University and Emile Jones of Rycotewood Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. They received awards of £5,000 each to cover the cost of their course fees to study Master’s degrees at Bucks New University.

The awards were presented at the NEC Interiors show in Birmingham earlier this year and both attended this year’s Students Industrial Tour. We are confident that they will soon be big names in the world of furniture.

Once again, the Furniture Makers has come to the aid of students by helping them with the cost of materials for their final BA projects. A total of £2,200 was given in grants to students from Rycotewood and Bucks New Universities, for projects ranging from a wall mounted cabinet to chairs using reclaimed wood. Materials included Maple, Oak, Ash and reclaimed cork blocks.

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The Furniture Students Industrial Tour – 2012 Sharona Selby (Student, London Metropolitan University) writes: Once again, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Willis & Gambier, the Furniture Students Industrial Tour has proved to be a great success. Sharona Selby, student at London Metropolitan University, shares with us her experience…

It soon became apparent that what Mark doesn’t know about furniture retail could fit on the head of a pin. As he led us through the store, we learned about marketing, retail, and how long it takes the average piece to make it from design to floor (ages). We learned how furniture is priced, and the importance of including details, however small, that will allow a salesman to engage a customer. And through the project activity (in which we had to choose an item of furniture within a certain style, define key features, and then market it), we learned to look at pieces with a more careful eye, and in some cases, to appreciate a piece that we may not have otherwise. To begin with I thought my piece was hideous and couldn’t imagine how to go about marketing it, but after spending two hours working, I kind of... liked it. At the end of the day we were asked again, ‘What do you know about furniture retail?’ This time our pens flew; the notes on the board were full.

“Four days, two coach drivers, one hotel, 34 energetic students, and a whole lot of foam…

I have a whole new respect for furniture...

It all started on the first day of our Industrial Tour when 34 of us students crowded into a showroom at Cousins Furniture in Manchester. ‘What do you know about furniture retail?’ we were asked, and handed a pink sticky note on which to write our responses. The room was quiet as everybody thought. A handful of the clearly more competent students soon leaned over and started scribbling down their answers. I still had nothing, and I was too far away to copy from a neighbour (not that I would, of course unless it was convenient). So in a desperate bid to write something anything! – I gripped my pen and scrawled the impressive words that would surely skyrocket me to the top of the class: ‘Branding is important.’

We had all arrived the day before, as students from thirteen different universities converged at the Sachas Hotel in Manchester. Small pockets of young people milled about that first night, pints clutched eagerly in hand, while tentative introductions were made. Names were noted and then immediately forgotten; there was too much anticipation in the air for the absorption of new information. This was the evening we officially met our dauntless (they had to be) leaders for the week: Tony Smart, Chris Hyde, Colette Bell, capped by Langton Stead’s enthusiastic leadership of what can only be called ‘The Party Committee.’

The next day we went to Vitafoam, where Julie Walker and her colleagues, Chris and Malcolm, led us on a tour of the foam manufacturing process. It was a wonderland: foam grew from a liquid river into solid blocks the size of cars, then stacked in a warehouse that resembled nothing so much as a pastel-coloured city – skyscrapers in baby pinks and blues and yellows as far as the eye could see. At the Dukinfield branch, where the foam was converted into usable shapes and sizes, a giant carousel (or a ‘rotary slitter,’ if one likes technicalities) rotated the blocks of foam through blades that sliced them into sheets, while a cutter called the C62 could turn the blocks into any imaginable shape with its 360o profiling. And all the scraps leftover from any of the conversion processes were bundled into big, multi-coloured cubes and sent back to Middleton for the manufacturing of chipfoam. Kath, Paul, Stewart, and Geoff were our guides there. The whole process was incredible – not only in its scope, but in its efficiency.

It was so inspiring that not a few of us found ourselves fantasising about all the design potential in just one of those giant blocks. Foam chair, anyone? Desk? Umbrella stand?

The next morning at Cousins, as we wrote our responses and put them up on the board, you could see the effects of The Party Committee’s night out (in which more names were noted and forgotten) in the slow, shuffling steps of the students.

Perhaps the consequent docility was the aim behind being led around the Northern Quarter, partaking of drinks with ambiguously fruity names and beers served in plastic bottles, but regardless, we were all ears when Mark Symes, the charismatic Managing Director from our tour’s sponsors, Willis & Gambier, took the floor.

The one cruel part of the entire week was our stop on Wednesday afternoon: Burgess Beds. Due to hours at Vitafoam and filling our bellies with their lovely lunch, as soon as our sleepy selves were invited to try out the bespoke, handmade mattresses in Burgess’s showroom, we were hard-pressed to leave them again. The tour may not have happened at all.

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In fact, to this day, we might still be there, our shapes indelibly printed into the mattresses – if it was not for the effervescence of our guide, Jodi Schofield, who was so absolutely fun that we found ourselves irresistibly drawn after her. Because of her high-spirited personality, everything she showed us was just about the most exciting thing you could possibly imagine: hand-teasing cattle-tail hair all day to make it fluffy? Where do we sign up? Hand-sewing mattress covers? Can I take lessons in that? And binary pocket springs? How am I sleeping every night on anything less? By the time we left, we realised two things: one, there is so much more to how things are made than one might think, and two, we would have to figure out a way to make enough money from our foam chairs to get one of those mattresses.

Knightsbridge is one of the few British furniture companies that employ an inhouse design and development team, and we got to see how it all worked – from design to development to physical production. The Knightsbridge design team – each of them competent in computer design, woodworking, and upholstery – has their own mini-production facility to test out ideas and take them from technical drawings to reality. Jason encourages versatility in his team: ‘Nobody hires just designers any more. How many drawings a day would you have to produce to make it worth it?

You have to follow the project through to the end.’ His advice to designers? ‘Be informed. You have to get your facts right.

You can break the rules when you’re designing, but first you have to know the rules which you’re breaking.’

The last day of our tour dawned bright and clear, perhaps because it was Knightsbridge Day, and one gets the impression that Knightsbridge--in addition to being one of the UK’s premier furniture manufacturers -- also commands the heavens. Margaret Miller, Past Master and elegance incarnate, introduced our guides for the day: Kevin, Nigel, Stuart, Katherine, and Jason Brown. My group followed Jason, who, as Head of Design and Development, was an absolutely invaluable resource.

On the way back to London that afternoon, the bus was full of spirited chatter. By now, we all – at last – knew each other’s names. We made plans to see each other’s work in upcoming shows, to explore ideas and bars together, and to stay in touch.

We applied to join The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers as Student Freemen. We laughed, we chattered, and we slept. This Student Tour did more than open our eyes to the reality of the furniture industry – it also built a community of young designers.”

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The Confederation Lunch at the House of Commons on March 7

The Company’s most important annual networking event was held this year in the Churchill Room at the House of Commons.

Stephen McPartland MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Group (APPFG), was our host and the main speaker at this second edition of the Company’s Confederation Lunch. The event’s aim was to bring together the chairmen and chief executives of the trade associations which make up the membership of the British Furniture Confederation, our Corporate Liverymen, the MPs of the APPFG, and senior Liverymen. The guest list was just such a mix and the achievement of the event’s purpose was well expressed by the very visible fluttering of business cards as they were exchanged in all directions.

The attraction of the venue, with its bust of the great man and some of his paintings, was remarked on by many as was the quality of the lunch itself.

Where will this must-be-at event be held next year?

Top Stephen McPartland takes a question from Eamon Wynne, a Corporate Liveryman from Furniture Village. Paul von der Heyde, Chairman of the British Furniture Confederation, (and the Company’s Junior Warden) is between them.

Above left Jonny Westbrooke, the Furniture Makers’ CEO and Clerk, with Mr McPartland.

Above right Martin Jourdan, the founding Chairman of the BFC, makes a point to Mike Pearce, a Corporate Liveryman and the Managing Director of Herman Miller.

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The Jubilee Lunch in Westminster Hall on June 5

The Furniture Makers Company was proud to host a table at the Diamond Jubilee Lunch which was attended by the Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Following the National Service of Thanksgiving, the Lunch, held in the historic setting of Westminster Hall, and sponsored by livery companies, was attended by 700 people from all over the UK representing the diversity of trades, crafts and professions sponsored by the liveries together with the many charities, schools and other organisations they support.

Charles Vernon, Master of the Furniture Makers, commented: “As a livery company which is made up entirely of people who work within the British furnishing industry, we were able to invite eight of our members truly representing the diversity of our industry. It was a tremendous occasion and it was such an honour for the Company to be able to play a significant part in Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.”

Standing – left to right Andrew Mitchell, owner and Managing Director of Artistic Upholstery in Nottingham, a family owned manufacturer which is celebrating its 60 years in business this year.

James Ryan, Director of the Barnsley Trust in Sussex, a Designing and Making workshop producing traditional furniture. James is a furniture designer in his own right.

The Master, Charles Vernon, and his wife Louise. Charles Vernon is the Group Managing Director of Bristol based Gloster Furniture the leading brand of high quality outdoor furniture now sold in over 50 countries.

Colin Mustoe, founder and Chairman of Senator in Accrington, which is the largest UK office furniture manufacturer with a turnover of more than £100 million.

Chris Hyde, Furniture Department Head at Ryecotewood College, and a founder of the National School of Furniture.

Sitting Emile Jones, a student we are sponsoring through his MA studies at Bucks New University following his BA studies at Rycotewood.

Zoubie Brahimi, a retail salesman from the West Thurrock branch of Furniture Village.

Tom Dean, who started work for Ercol Furniture in High Wycombe in 1948 and retired as Managing Director in 2003.

Catherine Hawcroft, a trainee production manager from Knightsbridge Furniture Productions in Bradford.

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And now for some furniture The Bespoke Guild Mark

Is a trend discernible in these recently awarded Bespoke Guild Mark pieces?

The answer has to be “No, just the amazing eclecticism of their designers’ imagination and the skill of their makers.”

Words in italics are quotes from the designers.

BGM 433 Winner Christopher Claxton Stevens Prize 2012 Sarah Kay. (made by Daniel Lacey) 'Oasby' Set of Four Chairs English Sycamore For an image and full details see page 4 of Austin Friar 9 BGM 436 Sean Feeney. (made by Sean Feeney and Mark Fletcher) ‘Acer’ Sculptural Side Table Solid Rippled Sycamore with Swiss Pearwood details “A design with inherent movement to excite the eye and to celebrate the natural beauty of Rippled Sycamore. A side table that teases gravity, passionately produced in a (medium) stable material.”

BGM 438 Edward Johnson 'Perpetual Bloom' Dining Table Maple, European Oak and Burr Poplar “Designed as a show piece inspired by aeronautical imagery, this five segment table seats six people. It can be disassembled into fifteen pieces to go through a narrow doorway. A protruding ring holds the Oak legs together with each Burr Poplar leaf sliding into place on a loose then centrally spot-screwed tongue . A speculative piece to demonstrate my designing and making skills, this table is for sale.”

BGM 441 Mark Ratcliffe 'Oakridge' Sofa Table Solid Burr Oak table top and scorched Oak underframe, pillar and base “I wanted to create a dramatic piece reflecting my client's artistic tastes, e.g.

Dali, and their home's wooded location.

Organic arboreal forms and finishes embody the concept and fire the imagination. The scale of the piece takes advantage of the spacious room with its high wall at one end.”

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BGM 442 Karen Hansen ‘Ceremonial Wedding Seat for Two’ Laminated English Ash “With a carved inscription to celebrate its use at a Tamil wedding. The client liked the fluting of the Yew chosen initially and this was carried through to the final Ash seat and amplified by the large finger jointing to symbolise the holding of hands. Ash was chosen for its Nordic meaning of the tree of life. The variation in colour is intentional – to symbolise the coming together of two people, one of English and one of Tamil descent.”

BGM 439 Will and Holly Acland. (made by John Gallacher) ‘Cunard’ Cabinet Walnut and Rippled Sycamore “A piece paying homage to the cinema.

Memories wrap around the cabinet reflecting the client's love of Art Deco furniture, art and architecture. It will be placed between two Art Deco pieces as a television stand with various electronics inside. Making the marquetry image and then applying it as a seamless veneer to the large tambour door was difficult.”

BGM 440 Halstock Cabinet Makers ‘Cocktail Cabinet’ Clad with textured slate, backlit alabaster doors “Created to merge contemporary stone carving (by Paul Spencer) and traditional cabinet making, using classic materials in new ways. Designed as a fun extravagant showpiece of style and opulence, layered with surprises to delight and entertain. The concept of backlighting the alabaster and the internal Beech Burr and Madrona was intended to maximise the impact of the piece and to showcase the materials' unique aesthetic qualities.”

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Now in its fifth year

Some Design Guild Marks from 2012

DGM 71 Simon Pengelly ‘Confer’ seating Senator International “With its slim looks, refreshingly elegant lines and a sturdy robust construction, Confer is a compact stacking monoshell design that takes conference and banquet seating to a new level of style, function and comfort. Accessories include linking, seat and row numbering, writing tablets, under-seat storage and a stack trolley.”

DGM 68 Corin Mellor ‘Corin Mellor’ Beech plywood furniture David Mellor “Originally designed in 1996, the range has recently been re-launched . There are three items – the stool and the coffee table shown here and a child's stool.

The design challenge was to manipulate a single piece of wood to create a simple yet practical form. The purity of the shapes and their elegant simplicity has a uniquely timeless quality.”

DGM 51 Tony Cole ‘Staverton CL’ bench componentry Logic Office “The Cooperative Group required a bench solution for its move to a shared modern and flexible workplace in a BREEAM rated building. With its integrated power and data capabilities, the bench dramatically reduces installation costs, protects the design aesthetic within the new building and is easy to service.”

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DGM 67 Katerina Zachariades ‘Manhattan’ collection Morgan Furniture “Different combinations of single, double or triple units with low or high backs, with or without arms or headrests, create a versatile system with 46 model options in all. The plinths, seats and screen components are distinctive and can be uniform or contrasting.”

DGM 59 Mark Gabbertas ‘Nomad’ outdoor lounge collection Gloster Furniture “A modular seating system fulfilling the rigorous demands of continuous outdoor use by having quilted removable washable covers to provide a soft relaxing and aesthetic feel and look.”

This is Mark Gabbertas' fourth collection for Gloster Furniture to gain a Design Guild Mark.

DGM 55 Sean Dare ‘Spline’ chair in Walnut Dare Studio “The chair evolved from experimenting with different chair footprints. The idea was to design a chair which did not have the standard leg-in-each-corner format but which offered exceptional stability and comfort. The result is the refined, narrowed, back leg composition leading up to a beautifully shaped back rail.”

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The Manufacturing Guild Mark New models from five of its holders

This is the Guild Mark for British firms achieving excellence in quantity production.

Ercol – ‘Arbor’ dresser, table and chairs “Full of genuine crafted details, Arbor’s informal interpretation of traditional country pieces is executed in solid Oak to create a comprehensive dining collection that is full of character. The collection is hand crafted using traditional furniture making techniques including both mortise and tenon and dovetail joints. There is a choice of two rich warm finishes (the lighter one, Casual, here) with both giving an aged feel to the timber. Arbor is a collection that will sit comfortably and feel current in both traditional and contemporary homes.”

Relyon – ‘Heritage Grandee’ bed A top of the range mattress (180 x 200 cms here) with a matching hand lashed springs divan and headboard. The mattress contains a double layer of over 3000 centre tied soft, medium or firm pocketed springs and layers of lambswool, cashmere and silk. Relyon use the Manufacturing Guild Mark logo as a selling point on the website and on advertisements as shown here.

Stewart Linford – Console table in Elm “Most of our production is in batch quantities but this piece was a bespoke item with a brief to create a table with plenty of ‘wow’ to enhance the entrance hall of our client’s stunning new Home Counties mansion. A rare English Elm top displaying its full burr character boldly combined with an Olive Ash frame seemed to “do the trick”. Designed by Thomas Craven, Senior Designer.

R E H Kennedy – Military display coffee table “This model (4296/GT with a glass top) is individually hand made in Cherry and hand polished in our standard Antique distressed Cherry finish. The drawers are in solid Oak with dovetailed joints and the centre drawer has a baized interior.

All brass fittings are English made.

The table shown is in the standard size of 150 x 81 x 47cms, but 50% of our production is commissioned. We recently made a bespoke version for a Cabinet Minister.”

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Two Manufacturing Guild Mark pieces from Michael Tyler Furniture, both from its Legacy Collection.

‘Alaska’ Four sofa widths and a chair all at the same height and depth.

‘Brompton’ Five sizes from ‘Grand’ to ‘Cuddler’ or as units to form a corner arrangement.

New for 2012

The Furniture Makers’ Sustainability Award FISP Steering Committee, James Bell, FIRA’s Environmental Consultant, Alan Marshall, a Liveryman and MD of Blueline Furniture, and Barbara Chandler, the well-known journalist and photographer. The judges were unanimous in awarding the trophy, in its inaugural year, to the office furniture manufacturer Orangebox represented by Liz Walker, Marketing Director.

The Furniture Makers’ newest award recognises efforts to improve the sustainability of British furniture manufacturing. It aims not only to encourage concern about our environment but to show that major beneficial steps are already being undertaken by pioneering managements. Open to all members of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP), it attracted entries of an extremely high calibre.

Chairman of the panel of judges was Hugh Garforth-Bles, then Master of the Worshipful Company. The others were David Walton, Chairman of the

Orangebox’s commitment to sustainable manufacturing standards was felt to provide a truly inspirational example.

Environmental issues are taken into consideration right from the start of the product development process with material usage minimized by design analysis. End of first life considerations, easy disassembly, is built in.

Attention to energy management has reduced gas and electricity consumption, and CFC free foam and water based adhesives are used. All timber is FSC or PEFC and smart techniques minimise waste and maximise yields.operates a fully licensed recycling facility. Distribution, travel and packaging are all controlled on a weekly basis and they have invested in new low emission vans. All these activities have produced valuable reductions in costs and waste.

The judges were impressed by the extent to which environmental considerations 17

form part of the company’s ‘DNA’.

Everyone in the business is regularly briefed and updated and is an environmental ambassador with shared responsibilities.

The company’s values are projected to consumers by the provision of eco data on all products so that purchasing decisions can include environmental criteria. It also has an award winning presentation, ‘No Green Bull’, on its website www.orangebox.com.

The trophy, incorporating references to the Furniture Makers’ coat of was made

by Trilogy Lasercraft in solid sustainable Cherry wood to a design by the organiser of the Sustainability Award, Oliver Heal.

Entry forms for the 2013 Sustainability Award will be available in October.

A Master Furniture Maker’s Year The Immediate Past Master looks back “What a quite extraordinary year! I was always told that ‘being the Master’ takes up a lot of time but the actuality far exceeded any forecast. Why? Read on...

The start in May 2011 was auspicious – the first sold-out Installation Dinner for many years. I took over from Peter Head who had attended every committee meeting bar one (around 70) and who was a charming and universally popular ambassador for our Livery at many external events.

But only three days into my year, the Clerk – a keen marathon runner – severely damaged his back and was laid up at home, and on and off work for the next five months. This was a difficult start for a new Master, and a frustrating one for Charlie.

The Merger took a lot of time, the low point being a meeting with twelve members of the Court and four City lawyers which spent almost an entire morning discussing just six words to go into the new legal Articles of Association; effect zero; cost substantial.

The lawyers never attended another meeting – e-mail came to an overdue rescue.

Whilst the merger documentation and the Legal and Financial Due Diligence Reports were slowly coming together, the normal affairs of the Company were continuing apace with my attending committees, some with the Clerk at home on a squawk box.

By the end of my year, we had sprouted a further five committees making 23 in all, and 101 Liverymen and Freemen had become committee members – quite the best way in which to get really involved with the Company.

During the year our combined charity gave away over £225,000 – £178,000 to 185 of the old and needy in the industry, £45,000 to 75 students, and £2,000 in other gifts. However, these amounts are dwarfed by the monetary value of pro-bono charitable time given by Livery members. A few years ago this was estimated at over £250,000 a year.

Pro-bono work must now be in excess of £400,000, giving a more realistic value of our annual charitable giving of over £600,000.

The merger negotiations trundled on through the year and the empowering documents were signed at a Special Court meeting in September though it was not finally completed until February. At last the Livery itself could start helping our industry’s old and needy – a traditional activity for many Liveries over many centuries.

Previously the task was amongst the accomplishments and activities of the Furnishing Trades Benevolent Association, latterly the Furnishing Industry Trust.

A new partnership needs change and adjustment. Fortunately Charles Vernon, then Senior Warden, was ideally qualified to take up the challenge of creating a

The Students Presentation Evening in the Hall in September

strategic plan and an organisation chart for the newly combined entity.

The result of much discussion and thought is a combined organisation that is already thinking and acting as one.

Merging meant two firms of Investment Managers looking after the share portfolios. Were we all content with the firms we were using? The answer had to be “No”. A beauty parade was held with six firms putting forward their proposals. After a second parade by the top two, it was agreed that he funds would be split equally and managed by two firms - Rathbones and Ruffers - a unanimous decision by our new and high powered Assets Committee.

At the same time the Communications and PR Committee, headed by an 80 years young Past Master (Roger Richardson), was determined to organise proper PR for the new single body. The committee held a beauty parade, realised along the way the need to use social media and ended up with a top notch London PR consultancy with particular expertise in this field. A new communications strategy was worked out and agreed, and now we all know now that: The Furniture Makers is the British furnishing industry’s central organisation, charity and patron.

The historic Court that signed the merger – 21 September 2011 – Rodney McMahon*, David Burbidge, Margaret Miller*, Jonathan Hindle, HGB, Edward Tadros*, Roger Richardson, Tony Attard*, Peter Head and Charles Kerrigan* (* also Directors of FIT)

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sprang into action and acquired seven impressive new members.

Common Hall this year was in the late afternoon to allow Liverymen and Freemen to attend without giving up an entire day’s work. An impressive fifty came and they were entertained and informed by three presentations – on This Year, Next Year and our New PR Style – followed by the installation of seven new Freeman and then a wine tasting. It was a great Furniture Makers’ networking evening.

Inspecting Morgan Furniture chairs at 100% Design. (Design Guild Mark 44)

The 7 Rifles Range Day at Sandhurst

The week before Christmas, Charles Kerrigan handed in his notice. Within the hour, the Treasurer, Paul von der Heyde, offered to be, and was accepted as the stand-in Clerk (Clerk Locum Tenens in Cityspeak). I had to head the recruitment campaign and received some 45 applications but luck was with us when in the first week in January I took up a long-standing invitation and went on a visit to the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).

Unbeknown to me it was a five hour informal interview because three days later FIRA’s COO, Jonny Westbrooke, applied to be Clerk. He joined a fortnight before the end of my year – my third Clerk.

Whilst this was going on, the Hall caterers decided to resign – just before being pushed. Past Master David Burbidge, in charge of the Hall and semi-retired, instantly swept into action, forsaking his portrait painting, and rapidly becoming an expert on City of London Livery Hall catering. A most attractive deal was done with a thoroughly nice catering company who prepare and serve delicious food.

Well done the Past Master!

Subsequently, the Hall has been rebranded, a new venue hire section of the website set up, and a marketing and detailed sales campaign has been established. Fortunately Kelly Starrs, our Hall Events and Catering Manager, decided to stay with us.

By the end of my year I had attended over 170 events including over 50 external ones, five Courts, 66 committee meetings and over 50 ad-hoc meetings.

I also tried to work full time! It was truly a memorable year for me – but also for the Furniture Makers.

I can truly say that The Furniture Makers is in excellent heart. And good health to the Master!

Another first in the year, after many months of debate, was the launch of an initiative to involve students and recent graduates in the Furniture Makers.

Inevitably a committee was set up – the Young Furniture Makers – with joint chairmen Liveryman Colin Morrell (over 500 LinkedIn connections) and recent graduate Freeman Langton Stead.

They have launched a Facebook page and have already attracted over sixty members. City Liveries are not great at involving students: the Furniture Makers is once again in the lead.

Meanwhile after a quiet twelve months the Corporate Membership Committee, under Senior Warden Jonathan Hindle, Grants & Welfare Manager Colette Bell at the Confederation Lunch in the House of Commons

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The Installation Ceremony and Dinner in Saint Mary-le-Bow and the Mansion House

Charles Vernon was installed as the 51st Master by his predecessor, Hugh GarforthBles, in the traditional ceremony during the Company’s annual thanksgiving service in the church of St Mary-le-Bow.

In fact the first person formally to be installed was our new and gallant Clerk, Jonny Westbrooke, who had taken up his duties as both Clerk and Chief Executive at the beginning of May.

The new Senior and Junior Wardens, Jonathan Hindle and Paul von der Heyde, accompanied the Master and Clerk on their way to the Installation Dinner in the Mansion House. Perhaps they should have taken the bus but they thought the walk was a healthier option. Home going commuters are so used to weird costumes in the city that this display turned hardly a head.

The lovely ladies of the Royal Academy of Music’s wind quintet almost outshone one of the amazing windows which illustrate defining events in the City’s history.

7 Rifles Buglars ‘announce’ that dinner is served.

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Waiting for their dinner (and even a drink) were the Master, the Wardens and their wives, Louise, Jessica and Lotte, and the principal guests, Alderman Sheriff Alan Yarrow, representing the Lord Mayor by whose kind permission we are able to dine in the Mansion House, and his wife Gilly.

A tradition at formal City dinners is that of passing round.

Sheriff Yarrow holds the Loving Cup lid aloft for the Master.

Some guests sip while others drink deeply. The Master Upholder, Jerry Appleyard, knows who she is – and so does the Austin Friar – (sshh!) it’s Sarah Westbrooke.

Designer and maker Sarah Kay poses beside the innovative and beautifully made ‘Oasby’ chair which won her this year’s Claxton Stevens Prize.

Each year the Installation Dinner provides a prestigious occasion for the presentation of some of the Company’s prizes and awards. As well as the Claxton Stevens Prize, this year’s presentations included a Lifetime Achievement Award to Ken Fullalove, one of the industry’s most respected elder statesmen and for many years the chairman of FIRA, and, new this year, the Sustainability Award which was won by Orange Box, a leading manufacturer of high design office seating.

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A Lifetime Achievement Award for Ken Fullalove Presented at the Installation Dinner

In 1978 I returned to manufacturing, joining Christie Tyler under George Williams’ leadership, as MD of a division including two major upholstery companies and Bath Cabinet Makers, the group’s only volume producer of dining, occasional and bedroom furniture.

In 1986 C-T became a division of Hillsdown Holdings and I decided not to stay. Instead I bought out Bath Cabinet Makers. So begun a new life owning and developing my own company within the industry. The company grew successfully but difficulty in sourcing chair components overseas led me to acquire the UK’s largest chair frame manufacturer, British Productions.

The next few years saw more than hectic activity in the ever changing furniture industry. I continued to grow my group, contracting to build a design and manufacturing facility on an exclusive basis for the Habitat Group, and additionally acquiring some famous furniture brand names – G Plan cabinets, Beresford & Hicks, and Burton Reproductions.

All of this challenging activity kept me extremely busy, particularly as some companies in the group were developing export interests.

Ken writes: “It all began in 1959 when I joined Meredew, then the industry’s leading cabinet manufacturer, led by John Hard.

It was a very successful international, branded, domestic, contract and schools manufacturing business that consistently invested in new manufacturing technology.

During these years my interest grew in the health of the industry at large and its contact with and support from Government. Following some years on the Council of FIRA I was appointed its Chairman in 1993. After only a few years it fell to me to bring the Association under the control of the privately owned TRADA International Group.

It was a great place to work and learn. John’s well publicised commitment to the development of education and skills in the industry was a great advantage to a young man developing his career. I learned the basis of good design, modern cabinet machining, assembly and finishing. I remained with the company for twelve years, during which time I was sent, among other places, to Harvard Business School to formalise my business education. I was also confronted with my first computer experience when Meredew introduced its first.

It required more room than an average office! By the time I left the company in 1970 I was Marketing Director for the Meredew Group.

After that, a deepening interest in supporting furniture manufacturing in the UK saw me involved with a number of organisations – UK First (lean manufacturing), Furniture Ombudsman (consumer protection through OFT), and the BFC which was created to become the official voice and contact for the industry with Government, seeking support and understanding for the industry’s needs in a changing and competitive world.

All this was driven by a passion for good design and quality manufacturing and a broad interest in the health of furniture manufacturing in the UK.

I moved on to manage a small group within Smiths Industries, including Manhattan Furniture. Ill health ended this experience and on recovering I became a consultant working with international ship furnishing businesses, solid timber manufacturers and the Marley Group, which was interested in entering the domestic upholstery market using the experience they had gained with Marley Foam. It was used then in car seating by inserting the cover and the metal frame into a tool and cold cure forming it.

One day in 2009 I suddenly realised how quickly time passes when enjoying oneself. My advancing years, together with a little ill health led me to stand down from each of these responsibilities. Now, aged 77, I am left only to determine the future of my own companies, which I still manage.

My work for the greater good of our industry has never been a burden. It had always been a great honour to be allowed to be involved in the way that I was working with some of the legendary giants of our industry on my journey of more than fifty years.”

I was always interested and attracted to gaining experience of furniture retailing and joined the Debenhams Group as a Director, responsible for the sourcing and marketing of its furniture and bedding. This was entirely new ground for me and I enjoyed it.

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And another life – Jack Beresford CBE An awesome Olympian oarsman and a Past Master

His Olympic career commenced in Antwerp in 1920 where he won silver in the single sculls, losing by one second, the closest margin in the history of this event, to Jack Kelly (father of Princess Grace of Monaco). Both men were too exhausted to shake hands after the finish but became firm friends thereafter. In 1924 in Paris Jack won gold in the same event. 1928 in Amsterdam saw him win a silver in the eights and a further gold came his way in the coxless fours in Los Angeles in 1932.

People strolling down the leafy Grove Park Gardens in Chiswick will probably pass no 19 without a further glance, yet if they look up under the eaves they will see a blue plaque marking the home of one of Britain’s finest Olympic athletes and, before Steve Redgrave, the only Briton to win medals at five consecutive Olympic Games. That athlete was Jack Beresford CBE, Master of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers 1971/72.

Jack was born into a rowing family on New Years Day 1899, the son of a Polish émigré, Julius Wisznieuwski, who subsequently changed his surname to Beresford. Julius was a partner in an East London furniture company, Beresford & Hicks, and himself won a silver medal in the coxed four at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics.

However his finest hour was at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 in the double sculls partnered by a lanky London jeweller, Lesley Southwood. The favourites were the German pair in a superior lightweight boat who reached the final after some dubious false starts and biased umpiring. Jack, having had a tip off from an English coach in the German team, sent home for a new boat which was “lost” during delivery and “found” by the authorities just two days before the final, leaving no time to practise. The British team made the final through the repêchage. Watched

by Hitler, the Germans took an early lead which they held until the final 100m when one rower blew up, Jack and Lesley then pulling through to take gold with Jack declaring it “the sweetest race I ever rowed!”

Throughout the inter-war period Jack enjoyed success at home and abroad, representing the Thames Rowing Club, and it is almost certain that, had the war not intervened, he would have gained a

Jack started his rowing at Bedford School where he stroked the eight, but his of ambitions were on the rugby field. However service in the Liverpool Scottish Regiment in WW1 left him with a leg injury which prevented further playing and fortuitously let him concentrate on the sport in which he was to excel.

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sixth Olympic medal in 1940.

After the war he continued to play a major role in rowing, being on the organising committee of the 1948 Olympics and managing the GB Olympic rowers in 1952. In 1949 he was awarded the Olympic Diploma of Merit and was appointed a CBE in 1960.

Jack was a true amateur sportsman and his chivalry is epitomised by the story of his leading the 1921 Diamond Sculls. But he stopped rowing because his Dutch competitor hit the boom, allowing the Dutchman to catch up and eventually win the race!

It must not be forgotten that Jack also had a job and played an active role throughout his rowing career in his furniture making company, listed as “manufacturers of fine furniture” in the catalogues of British Industry Fairs from 1922 to 1947. The company was wound up in 2000, but Beresford & Hicks furniture can still be found in sale rooms today.

Jack Beresford’s memory is thus preserved in his sport and our industry, and he would have been thrilled at the success of the British rowers in this year’s Olympics.

(Research by Gil Carter)

Would you like to join us?

Are you “engaged in or with” any aspect of the furniture industry in the United Kingdom?

Are you a furniture designer, a maker or manufacturer, a retailer, a furniture specifier, consultant, journalist, teacher, a PR person?

If you are any of these, you are welcome to become a Freeman and, in due course, a Liveryman of The Furniture Makers Company.

You do not have to wait to be invited!

Details are on the website, or contact the Clerk for the Company brochure.

The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers The City of London Livery Company for the British Furniture Industry Furniture Makers’ Hall, 12 Austin Friars EC2N 2HE 020 7256 5558 www.furnituremakers.org.uk 24