A HISTORIC brewery’s board room table built by Robert “Mouseman” Thompson has been returned to County Durham and restored to its former glory.
The table and its chairs were in a sorry state when Barnard Castle antiques dealer Paul Ing discovered them in a Liverpool auction room’s catalogue, where it was described as having belonged to an Isle of Man brewery.
However, research by Mr Ing’s son Charlie revealed its true history and its roots were solidly in County Durham
Brewery expert John Emerson was on hand to reveal more about the history of Nimmo Brewery, which had commissioned famed carpenter Robert Mouseman Thompson to produce the set.
Mr Emerson said: “John Nimmo started the brewery in 1826 at Castle Eden. Later his great grandson, who was William John Nimmo, took over. He was born in 1890 and he died in 1952.
He added that over the years, the Nimmo company expanded by buying several other breweries, including the one at West Auckland and it also had a number of pubs in its estate, including the Golden Lion, in Barnard Castle.
Mr Emerson: “In their heyday they were making 75,000 barrels per annum and they had 125 estate pubs. In their time they were noted for brewing a very strong export ale, Nimmo’s stout and Nimmo’s brown ale.
“I am interested in breweries because I like the production of brewing, and the consumption of beer.”
Mr Ing said that the board room set was made as a mark of respect for William Nimmo after his death in 1952.
He said: “We just had to have it. We had to spend a lot money doing it and it has been one of those projects that we love to do because it is a bit of history.
“It was in a terrible state – the chairs were wobbly because the glue had crystalised”
The restoration process took about four months to complete during which each chair was dismantled and put back together. The table, which was pitted and stained, had extensive work done to restore its surface.
Mr Ing said: “All the leather was gone and the leather that has been put on is matching what would have been on originally.
“It is nice to bring something back into the world again – it would have been just lost forever.”
