Beaver & Tapley

Beaver and Tapley was founded in London by Newman Richardson, shortly before the end of the first World War, to deal in Government surplus. Surprisingly, there was never a Mr Beaver or a Mr Tapley. The name was created by Richardson to sound as if the Company was old and established. This led to the sale of regimental ties and from that to screw-up tie presses and trouser presses which were a great success.

In the early thirties the company started manufacturing tea trolleys, utilising the same raw materials, which is how Beaver and Tapley became furniture manufacturers. The company made and sold an increasing range of occasional and some bedroom furniture, with a break during the Second World War, selling the product ranges wholly on price.

In 1956 Roger joined his father Justin Richardson in the business and together they decided that just being cheaper than their competitors was not the way forwards in the long term. They decided on a number of new strategies; to use some top designers; to advertise nationally; to sell on quality and design and not purely on price.

The new direction was a big success. Collaboration with leading British designers like Robert Heritage led to the creation of best selling ranges like the modular SL flexible wall shelving system. This was a product that could be collected over time and arranged to suit any living space. Such flexibility combined with a clean linear aesthetic grew in popularity during the mid 20th century and remain highly sought after today.