An Arts & Crafts Oak Console Table: Berick, Beresford & Hicks and a London Story

An Arts & Crafts oak console table can reveal its history gradually. The timber and construction offer one account; a surviving label may open another.

Initially identified through its Leemings of Halifax retailer’s label, this table carried a second clue inside a drawer: a circular plaque reading Berick Furniture. That discovery connects it to Beresford & Hicks, the London furniture manufacturers whose history encompasses traditional cabinetmaking, continental revival designs and an extraordinary Olympic rowing family.

Its flowing oak framework becomes more interesting when viewed within that wider context.

Two Labels, Two Parts of the Table’s History

The Leemings label records the table’s connection to a Halifax furnishing business. The Berick plaque identifies its manufacturing association with Beresford & Hicks, whose furniture is documented under the Berick name. 

Together, the marks help distinguish the maker from the retailer. They also show why inspecting drawers, backs and concealed surfaces matters: the most useful evidence is sometimes away from the decorative front.

The table is provisionally dated circa 1930. A closely corresponding oak table has been described with the same Berick and Leemings association and dated to the 1930s, although neither plaque establishes an exact manufacturing year.

The labels give the attribution substance. The approximate date still requires measured wording.

Beresford & Hicks in London’s Furniture District

Founded in 1891 by Julius Beresford and Richard Hicks, Beresford & Hicks operated from Hemsworth Street, Hoxton, with showrooms in Curtain Road, Shoreditch. The firm supplied bedroom furniture to Heal’s and became known for upholstered goods and English reproduction furniture. 

This places the table within the history of London’s East End furniture trade, rather than identifying it solely through the town where it was sold.

The Berick name and Berick Works

The connection between the brand and the business is reinforced by a contemporary record. A January 1963 notice in The London Gazette identifies Beresford & Hicks as furniture manufacturers at Curtain Road and Berick Works, Hemsworth Street. www.thegazette.co.uk

Berick” appears to combine “Ber” from Beresford with “ick” from Hicks, bringing parts of the two partners’ surnames together in one furniture brand.

“Berick” appears to combine elements of Beresford and Hicks. It is a plausible reading of the name, although its derivation has not been independently confirmed.

What is documented is its use both on furniture and in the designation of the firm’s manufacturing premises.

Reading the Arts & Crafts Oak Console Table

The Arts & Crafts character of this table lies in its substantial timber, legible framework and concentrated ornament. A carved Yorkshire rose centres the drawer case, providing a decorative focal point above the flowing supports. The broad upper section gives the table weight, while the openings beneath allow its construction to remain visible.

Its curves introduce another design language.

A Spanish table used for comparison has closely related shaped end supports, with opposing uprights, projecting details and spreading feet. An Italian walnut work table, catalogued by its seller as nineteenth century, offers another striking parallel, particularly in its rectangular case and waved wooden stretcher.

These comparisons suggest continental revival influences rather than a single proven source.

“Lyre-shaped” can describe the silhouette, but it does not establish origin. Here, shaped trestle supports is the more useful construction term, leaving room to discuss the Spanish and Italian visual relationships.

The oak console brings those flowing forms into a quieter composition, with broad surfaces balancing the shaped outline.

A Framework Considered from Every Side

The scroll-ended rails beneath the drawer case are repeated at the back. That repetition gives the structure continuity when the table is viewed obliquely or from the side.

Closer examination also reveals that their angled shaping follows the splay of the supporting legs. The relationship between these elements makes the framework more deliberate than a collection of decorative curves.

The wooden stretcher continues the movement between the end supports. Its waved profile gives the lower section a rhythm that answers the scrollwork above.

Historic England’s account of Beresford & Hicks describes a factory built in Hemsworth Street in 1930, producing bespoke furniture, reproduction work and standard lines through a traditionally organised manufacturing process. Individual articles were assembled by one worker, with chair-making and upholstery handled separately. historicengland.org.uk

That record offers valuable context for the table’s construction, without identifying its individual maker or production sequence.

The Beresfords’ Olympic Rowing History

The family behind the furniture business also holds a remarkable place in British sport.

Julius Beresford won an Olympic silver medal in rowing in 1912. His son Jack worked in the family furniture business while developing his own rowing career. Between 1920 and 1936, Jack won medals at five consecutive Olympic Games: three gold and two silver. English Heritage

The furniture and sporting histories overlapped within the same family. Jack’s achievements were made while his working life remained connected to the London business.

This does not establish that either man designed or personally made the console table. It does, however, give the maker’s name a human context extending beyond a catalogue entry or factory address.

Royal Supply and a Later Royal Warrant

Beresford & Hicks supplied furniture to the Royal Family in 1933. A Royal Warrant followed in 1958, with Jack Beresford named as grantee. bifmo.furniturehistorysociety.org

That later recognition forms part of the manufacturer’s history. It should not be used to imply that this circa 1930 table was royally commissioned, owned or supplied under the warrant.

The distinction allows the history to retain its interest without overstating the table’s individual provenance.

Its significance rests on the surviving marks, the documented business behind them and the quality visible in the framework.

Warm Oak within a Contemporary Interior

The oak now has a rich warmth that light reveals differently across the flat case, moulded edges and shaped supports. Its colour gives the table presence before the smaller details become apparent.

Allowing the structure to register

At approximately one metre wide and 46 centimetres deep, an oak console table with drawers can work comfortably on a landing, in a hallway or against a sitting-room wall.

Leave sufficient space around the ends for the curved supports to remain visible. A restrained arrangement on the top allows the timber and stepped profile to carry the composition.

The table is structurally sound, with minor wear and barely noticeable small losses and shrinkage. Its present condition suggests careful treatment over time, although the identities and number of previous owners remain unknown.

Why the Discovery Matters

The Berick plaque changes how the table can be understood. It connects an expressive oak design to a named London manufacturer, while the Leemings label preserves the retailer’s part in its history.

The continental comparisons add another layer. They help explain the framework through related forms, while leaving its precise design source open.

Explore the Beresford & Hicks console table for detailed photographs, dimensions and condition notes, or browse our antique tables collection to see how material and construction give different tables their presence.

Bullet Highlights

• A concealed Berick plaque identifies the table’s manufacturing association.
• The Leemings label preserves its connection to the Halifax retailer.
• Beresford & Hicks operated within London’s East End furniture district.
• Spanish and Italian comparisons reveal related continental forms.
• Repeated scrollwork and coordinated angles distinguish the framework.
• Julius and Jack Beresford both achieved Olympic rowing success.
• The firm’s later Royal Warrant adds context to its manufacturing history.