Alan Grainger ‘Acornman’
Alan “Acornman” Grainger of Brandsby is a distinguished ‘Yorkshire Critter’ furniture maker known for his excellent craftsmanship and distinctive acorn carvings. Alan is not an ex Mouseman craftsman, he was trained by his father George J Grainger who established the acorn signature on his own furniture in 1934. It’s unclear if George Grainger was ever trained at Robert Thompson’s as we’ve read contradictory details.
As his reputation and business grew, in the late 1950s George and Alan acquired most of the manufacturing assets, including the designs, of Robert Ingham’s Kingpost Furniture business. They traded together initially as GJ Grainger & Son and later as Acorn Industries, which continued very successfully under Alan’s leadership. He trained and employed several craftsmen, until he retired and closed the business in 2005.
Working mostly in Robert Thompson’s traditional adzed oak, they were one of the few ‘Yorkshire Critter’ craftsmen who also offered a ‘Cotswold School’ Arts and Crafts range and worked with oak, walnut and occasionally mahogany.
Some years ago, Alan presented David with the signed and annotated furniture design book that was his father’s inspiration for many of their Arts and Crafts designs following a personal visit to see Alan, and an impromptu tour around the now eerily empty workshop buildings.