HISTORY OF THE WORKSHOP
Goatscliffe Workshops were built during the 1920s by Ben Coopland [ c.1890 - 1965 ] a furniture maker originally from the Manchester area who held the prestigious City & Guilds Gold Medal in cabinet making.
His work became well known and in the 1930s the workshop was visited by the then Prince of Wales, later Duke of Windsor, whilst on a royal tour of Derbyshire, who commented that Ben had ‘a model workshop’. After Ben’s death, ownership of the premises passed to furniture maker and teacher Harry Lawton [ 1919 - 2016 ], who never used it himself but let it out for various light industrial uses.
Andrew, one of his sons, took over the workshop in 1977 whilst still a student and began restoring and re-equipping the buildings to bring back the tradition of fine furniture making to Grindleford.
Goatscliffe Workshops were built during the 1920s by Ben Coopland [ c.1890 - 1965 ] a furniture maker originally from the Manchester area who held the prestigious City & Guilds Gold Medal in cabinet making.
His work became well known and in the 1930s the workshop was visited by the then Prince of Wales, later Duke of Windsor, whilst on a royal tour of Derbyshire, who commented that Ben had ‘a model workshop’. After Ben’s death, ownership of the premises passed to furniture maker and teacher Harry Lawton [ 1919 - 2016 ], who never used it himself but let it out for various light industrial uses.
Andrew, one of his sons, took over the workshop in 1977 whilst still a student and began restoring and re-equipping the buildings to bring back the tradition of fine furniture making to Grindleford.