1985 - 1993 A bit of luck starts the business
I'm one of the founders of Revival Beds, my name is Russell Mottishaw and that's me on the left, standing alongside my co-director Chris Nangle outside Hodsock Priory. We actually met at secondary school 35 years ago and have been in business for around 25 of those.
The business actually started with us both making several weeks' wages out of an impromptu house clearance full of antiques (yes these things actually do happen). This bit of luck then led to a keen interest in antiques.
Our interest in antiques included old beds and antique bedroom furniture as well as all the other types of furniture and old bric-a-brac. Finding antique wardrobes, chests of drawers, and dressing tables was relatively easily, but, finding the old and antique beds to match the bedroom furniture was nigh on impossible. Antique beds were either, broken, incomplete, or so small they'd only be any good as child's bed.
This was the point we started to build and make our own beds and four posters, the difference being our beds would be big enough for grown-ups!