William ‘Horace’ Knight (1933-2021) was born and raised in Redruth, Cornwall, and completed his National Service with the Durham Light Infantry during the Korean War. On his return, he took up a job with the BBC in Birmingham, however, became seriously ill with malaria contracted during his tour abroad. Returning home to recuperate, he went to work for Teagle Farm Machinery in Truro, and after attending night classes he was promoted to the drawing office.
Remaining in the industry, in the early 1960s he took a job as a designer and draughtsman with Parmiter Farm Machinery in Wiltshire, and moved to Shaftsbury with his wife Margaret, where their sons Adrian and Jeremy were born. In 1970, the family moved to Semington, and Horace opened Knight Farm Machinery Ltd. in Corsham. However, the economic climate in the mid-1970s led to the company being bought by A.C. Bamlett of Thirsk, and the family moved north to the centre of operations, where Horace became Manufacturing Director.
Not long afterwards, Horace took up woodworking as a hobby, at first attending night classes, and then training with Sid Pollard, a former Mouseman craftsman, who was his neighbour. Soon he was making oak furniture for his home, friends and family, all whilst working full-time. During the early 1980s, Horace battled cancer in his spine and went on to establish a workshop in the garage, and in 1986 resigned from Bamlett’s, bought a derelict mill in the hamlet of Balk, and ‘Old Mill Furniture’ opened in 1987. Initially working alongside his son Adrian, he soon recruited other craftsmen, each specialising in a particular timer, and in 1988 his younger son Jeremy joined the family business. The 1990s saw Old Mill Furniture flourish, employing 14 craftsmen. Still feeling the effects of his illness, Horace gradually reduced his workload but turned his hand to computing and created the company’s first website.
In 2003, the company moved across the road to Manor Farm under the leadership of Adrian and Jeremy following Horace’s retirement, where it continued to trade until 2026. Now, the residual contents of the workshop and showroom are going under the hammer as part of the Mouseman: 150th Anniversary Sale on 13th June. Highlights of the collection include an Oak Longcase Clock (estimate: £1,000-1,500 all figures exclude buyer’s premium), an Oak Panelled Dresser (estimate: £600-900), and an Oak Panelled Bureau (estimate: £300-500).
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