An Arts & Crafts Yorkshire School English Oak Dresser by Albert 'Eagleman' Jeffray (Ex-Mouseman) c. 1980. A lovely dresser in the classic Yorkshire School style suitable for a smaller space, but making a big impact. Featuring:

• Solid English Oak throughout.

• Very well figured quarter-sawn English Oak (quarter-sawing is a way of sawing oak to produce boards with superior strength which also reveals decorative 'medullary rays' in its grain).

• Rectangular top made out of just two continuous pieces of very well figured quarter-sawn solid timber.

• Two doors with single plank fielded panels surrounded by rails and stiles joined by through tenons secured with hand made pegs.

• Two drawers (made with single plank fronts solid drawer carcasses joined with hand-cut lap and through dovetails).

• Handmade wrought iron fittings.

• Subtly adzed on all visible surfaces (the subtle surface rippling synonymous with Yorkshire School furniture).

• Sides and back with single plank fielded panels surrounded by rails and stiles joined by through tenons secured with hand made pegs.

• Upper section with plate shelves.

• Shaped octagonal feet.

• Can be separated into 2 parts for easy transportation.

Approximate dimensions are:

• Base Height 850mm (2 feet 9 1/4 inches).

• Overall Width 930mm (3 feet and 1/2 of an inch).

• Overall Depth 460mm (1 foot 6 inches).

• Overall Height 1910mm (6 feet 3 inches).

c. 1980.

Albert Jeffray’s carved eagle motif on the side of the base.

Very good condition with smoothly sliding drawers, tight joints and good rich colour. One dint in the top of the base. If you wish to have further specific photographs or talk to us for a more detailed condition report then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Albert 'Eagleman' Jeffray started his career at Robert "Mouseman' Thompson's in 1954 (a year or so prior to Thompsons' death) and continued working there until 1966 when he decided to work on his own and began his career as the 'Eagleman', signing each piece with an incised eagle motif. The quality of his designs and craftsmanship matches the output from the Thompson workshop. He retired in 2005.

The most British of woods, that can produce really special results. English oak has been used for hundreds of years to construct everything from sea-going vessels to fine furniture. Although oak grows widely across Europe and North America, craftsmen continue to cherish English oak which grows more slowly than its foreign counterparts giving it strength, durability. Quarter sawn boards are very straight grained and have distinctive growth rings and medullary rays that give a very beautiful effect as well as being renowned for their superior stability and strength.

The Yorkshire School of the Arts & Crafts movement started with Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson's  transformation from jobbing carpenter to master craftsmen. By the mid-1920s he had adopted his trademark mouse (now world renowned as a symbol of quality furniture) and had his own workshop busily employing several men. As the workshop grew and over the years many of the craftsmen have taken their skills and branched out and adopted a trademark of their own, a fox, a lizard, a fish, a rabbit to name but a few, and whilst some have closely stuck to the Mouseman designs others have taken the style and adapted it. Other craftsmen, unconnected to the Mouseman workshop, have also chosen the classic Yorkshire Oak style as their own. Typical Yorkshire school items are in English Oak, with traditional pegged joints and adzed surfaces.