Newsletters

Welcome!
At this time of year, our thoughts inevitably turn to friends and family and the memories we share. In this newsletter, the pictures of a small chapel in Monroe, USA bring back particular memories for me as it was the first major scheme that I designed, working alongside George Weightman who was actually trained by my Great Grandfather, Robert Thompson. Like all our craftsmen, George Weightman’s legacy is not only the pieces he created but also the skills he passed on to a new generation, ensuring a continuing tradition from Robert Thompson to today’s young apprentices.

In the following pages you can also read about two very special projects that we are working on with Ampleforth College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, both of which have selected Mouseman pieces as an opportunity for alumni and friends to keep alive memories of time spent within these historic seats of learning.
    The subject of apprenticeships and colleges brings to mind a quotation by Nelson Mandela, a man who has been in many people’s thoughts this year, who said, “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” Mandela was referring to personal growth through learning, but it is a philosophy that we also acknowledge here in our workshop in Kilburn when we see how a simple piece of oak can be shaped by skilled hands and creative minds into something completely different, something beautiful, something lasting.
    It is pleasing to all of us at Robert Thompson’s to know that many of the pieces created here in Kilburn will be passed on from one generation to another, carrying with them memories of people, places and special times.     Ian Thompson Cartwright

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