Description

A rare and beautiful vintage mid century sideboard by iconic Scottish furniture maker Beithcraft. With those highly sought after cross-frame legs this is such an elegant piece of furniture. Three drawers sit to the right of a single cupboard, the top one with built-in cutlery divider. To the right of these are a drop-down drinks cabinet and a second single cupboard. The design of this stunning retro sideboard is very heavily influenced by the Danish furniture designers of this period.

From 1845 until the 1980s, Beith, in Ayrshire, had the honour of being the most important furniture-manufacturing town in Scotland with a reputation for high-quality furniture. The origins of the industry can be traced back to Mathew Dale who started by making hand-built furniture for local people in 1845. A former employee of Dale, Matthew Pollock progressed the manufacturing by introducing machinery in a factory setting 3 miles (5 kilometres) outside of the town at Beith North railway station. After approximately twelve years, Pollock and his brothers sold the factory to Robert Balfour, and moved into the town to expand their business. Balfour suffered the same problems as the Pollock Brothers in being unable to attract employees from the town willing to walk the 3 miles (5 kilometres) to work. In 1872, he built a factory near the Beith Town railway station and persuaded the railway company to build a siding to allow easy transportation of raw materials and finished products.

The industry expanded across the local area making it a centre of excellence in furniture manufacturing, and building its reputation throughout the world. In the late-1920s, transportation switched away from the railway but the industry continued to burgeon with many companies producing high-quality furniture. Balfours, latterly known as Beithcraft, were for a number of years the main manufacturers of mantelpieces in Scotland, some were designed in the elegant style, and required the skill of expert woodcarvers. Matthew Pollock Ltd supplied furniture to both the RMS Queen Mary and the RMS Queen Elizabeth II.

Furniture is no longer produced in Beith due to the closure of the various manufacturing firms. The closures were caused by a multitude of problems such as the economic downturn, and an inability to compete with self-assembly furniture firms and their increase in popularity. The last major furniture manufacturer to close was Beithcraft which finished in 1983 (after a major fire a few years earlier, which destroyed large sections of the plant) with the loss of 420 jobs. With this final closure came the end of Beith’s reputation for being one of the main furniture manufacturers in the country. This history of carpentry is remembered in the nickname of the local football team, Beith Juniors, who are commonly referred to as “The Cabes” (Cabinet Makers).

In super condition, we’ve had the cabinet refinished by a professional furniture restorer.

L205 x D47 x H74cm