If we could turn the clock back to the 1930s…

We would find the backstreets of Newcastle-under-Lyme echoing to the sounds of the plane, the saw and the hammer.

The town had a long-established national reputation for excellence in cabinet-making.

And it was out of this tradition that Lancaster and Tomkinson was born.

Lancaster meets Tomkinson

It was a chilly winter’s morning in February 1931 when young Ronald Tomkinson reported for work to embark upon his indentured apprenticeship under the guidance of Sidney Lancaster, a senior cabinet maker with the firm of Jones and Moss. The two men quickly formed a strong bond based upon a mutual passion for producing woodwork of the highest quality.

Two’s company

The two men’s fruitful association was interrupted by the Second World War when Ronald was called up while the older man continued to ply his trade. However, the bond between the pair was so strong that, upon Ronald’s release from the army, he and Sidney teamed up once again but this time to trade on their own account, much to the delight of a local community in which the pair had established a reputation for outstanding work.

Like father, like son

Over the next twenty years Sidney and Ronald established their new company of Lancaster and Tomkinson as the pre-eminent cabinet makers of the age. There was only one way their close relationship was going to end. And so it transpired with the untimely death of Sidney Lancaster in 1964. However, the firm received a boost in 1970 with the arrival of Ronald’s son Clive, who joined as an apprentice before taking charge of the company’s proud traditions on Ronald’s retirement in 1984.

A legacy built to last

The name and reputation of Lancaster and Tomkinson continues in Clive’s son Peter, whose passion for woodworking was ignited the moment he began working in his father’s now legendary workshop at just 17 years old.

Peter’s artistic vision, deep rooted love and respect for woodworking and god given gift for inventiveness has enabled families and property owners to enjoy Lancaster and Tomkinson craftsmanship for yet another generation.

Putting down roots for the future

Peter has captured the hearts and imaginations of furniture lovers around the world with an eye for invention and a creative spirit that has to be seen to be believed.

At the same time, as a creator, a leader and a business coach, he is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of woodworking talent, alongside his team of craftsmen who are among the best in the UK.