Reynolds Of Ludlow Yew Table, 1960

Yew table by Reynolds of Ludlow, c.1960.

Reynolds of Ludlow was established in 1946 by Arthur Basil Reynolds. Trained as a cabinet maker and following services in the army during WW2, he left as a Major with an MBE. Arthur Reynolds set up his company based on a geographical supply of timber and a centralised distribution position. As a Quaker, and with Arts and Crafts influences he established a plain and honest design vocabulary, based on a traditional craftsman approach. His work was exhibited at the Festival of Britain and was later supplied through Heals and Dunns. Reynolds of Ludlow also secured prestigious contracts including Leicester University and the GEC.

The Yew coffee tables and benches from the 1950s through to the 1960s utilised selected solid timber and the wood was very much presented to ‘speak for itself’. The natural qualities of wood were honoured and ‘free edges’, knots and fissures were part of the design.

Native Yew was used for its contrasting blond sapwood, straight grain and that the timber was traditionally used in past centuries The unique personality to each section of timber was a part of a shared international appreciation for using wood as natural material, also seen through the works of George Nakashima in USA.

Arthur Reynolds died suddenly in 1960, though the company continued under management of his son Garth, who had apprenticed his father since 1948.

Ink stamp beneath.

Dimensions:
156w x 68d x40cmh