Farewell to Mouseman collection

But for 36-year-old Harrogate policeman Kenneth Hodgson 1952 was a momentous year for other reasons – the year marked the start of a lifelong obsession collecting the world-famous and exquisite Robert "Mouseman'' Thompson furniture.

Over the years he built up a huge collection of the furniture and at the time of his death at the age of 88 in July, 2004, he had accumulated one of the largest collections in the country.

Now his son Dr Philip Hodgson and his wife Elizabeth are busy contacting museums across the country to find permanent new homes for many of the 170 pieces thought to be worth between 100,000 and 200,000.

Many of the most valuable pieces have already been found homes in museums.

Dr Hodgson, a 61-year-old retired scientist, said: "We have no children to pass the collection on to and want the furniture to be properly cared for. My father loved this furniture and dedicated much of his life to building up his collection.

"He and my mother Joyce were very keen on it and decided it would be their top priority. They never had a holiday together, they would save up all their spare money so they could afford yet another piece of this furniture.

"When my father died it made me realise that we would not live for ever and he loved it so much and would have wanted it to be well looked after.''

Already the Victoria & Albert Museum in London has taken a chair while Lotherton Hall, near Leeds, has accepted several pieces and most recently Craven Museum and Gallery has accepted several pieces including candlesticks, bookends, lampshades, coat hooks, mirrors and clocks.

Visitor services officer Ross Wiggan said: "The intention is that the items will be on permanent display. We will use the collection to create the illusion of a room in which we will display some of our costumes.''

Kenneth Hodgson began collecting Mouseman furniture in March 1952 following a conversation with his mother-in-law.

A preacher at her Methodist church had given a sermon about Robert Thompson and showed the congregation various items containing the carved mouse on them.

So began decades of collecting with endless trips to Kilburn to visit Mr Thompson as well as visits to sale rooms to buy the choicest examples of the intricate craft.

Dr Hodgson said: "My father had a very hard upbringing – he left school when he was 14 – and I don't like giving the furniture away – he loved it, I love it and my wife loves it but realistically we have to give it away.

"We are doing it for the best but, of course, it is upsetting. The collection was brought up in one generation and got rid of in another generation.

"The intention is to preserve my father's legacy, it's very sad and quite traumatic. Collecting this furniture was quite an obsession with him.

"To be honest I think it went too far but it was up to him what he spent his money on. At the start it was slow because they didn't have much money.

"As a child he had had very little and I think part of the attraction of this furniture for him was that not many people had it, it was fairly exclusive and he knew the furniture intimately.

"Part of the problem in giving the furniture away is that most of the museums in the UK are full – for example the V&A can only display half of its total collection so we may have to look abroad, America perhaps, for some of the homes. The other thing is that we are don't want the items to be used.''

Mrs Hodgson, 59, who has written a fascinating book commemorating Kenneth Hodgson's life and attachment to Mouseman furniture, added: "Whatever the conversation you could be sure it would turn soon enough to Robert Thompson who was a friend of his.

"He would give talks on Robert Thompson, he would go to the Great Yorkshire Show, he was quite an accomplished man.''