Alstons Furniture – A Brief History

The Alston family has been involved with furniture for over two centuries. As early as 1776 there was Alston repairing furniture in his Chelsea workshop.

The direct ancestors of the current family started the business that became the Alstons furniture business we know today in Sudbury, Suffolk. William Alston (1839-1919) and his brother Ambrose (1834-1902) were master cabinetmakers in the mid-19th century. William Alston later also became a furniture dealer, selling from a location at 95 North Street, Sudbury. Alstons’ furniture business prospered and they moved to 9 Old Market Place, Sudbury in 1875. Both William Alston’s sons, Hammond and Percy, worked in the business and together created one of the first all-electric workshops.

The Old Market Place facility was also converted into a retail furniture store, with additional workshops. One of which was eventually forming the beginnings of the Alstons furniture upholstery operation much later. In 1921, Percy Alston’s son Leslie began an apprenticeship with his father and later completed it at Fisher Trade Woodworking in London’s East End.

In 1937, Leslie started his own manufacturing business in a redundant coconut mat factory in Long Melford. The company was created with a £ 6,000 bank loan. Leslie’s brother Roy joined him there to help him run the new company. The company subsequently adopted the Albro trademark as an abbreviation for the Alston brothers, which continued until the 1980s.

During World War II, the Long Melford factory switched production to “utilitarian” bedroom and dining room furniture. Additional work was also done to manufacture coffins for the war effort.

Later in the war, the Long Melford factory burned down and new facilities were sought at Ipswich. Production was initially resumed at the Wrinch factory on Nacton Road, Ipswich. Land adjacent to Wrinch’s was also purchased and a factory was built linking the war leftover Nissen huts to form a linear building and a continuous furniture production line was created within it. This temporary structure survived until 1971, when a new building was erected over the old cabins, ensuring that not an hour of production was lost.

Alstons furniture business has remained on this site to this day. During this time a new headquarters was built and a program of continuous investment in machinery was maintained. Alstons Furniture has almost exclusively manufactured bedroom furniture during this period. In the 1950s and 1960s, this focused on bedroom furniture suites in veneered teak, walnut, and mahogany finishes (a suite comprised of a ladies’ wardrobe, a men’s wardrobe, and a dressing table). The 1970s saw the introduction of modular bedroom furniture ranges with veneer and painted finishes.

Leslie Alston remained in charge of the business until his death in 1976, at which point his eldest son Rex (John) took over as Managing Director with Leslie’s brother Percy (Roy) as President. In 1979, Alan, Leslie’s other son, became president and CEO of Alstons Furniture, with the help of his brother Rex and his cousin Noel (Percy’s son) as sales director. John P Alston joined the family business, Alstons Furniture, in 1974 and became a Director in 1987 and Managing Director in 1995. In 2008, David Alston became President of Alstons Furniture, assuming this role directly from his father. Also this year, John’s daughter Jessica Alston joined Alstons Furniture as a design assistant.

The upholstery business flourished and within 10 years more satellite factories were opened in Hadleigh, Suffolk and Clacton, Essex.

The recession of the early 1980s saw Alstons Furniture shrink and satellite factories were closed and production and investment consolidated at the Colchester site. Until 1995, Alan Alston remained responsible for the management of Alstons Furniture. In 1995, David Alston, Alan’s youngest son, became Managing Director of the company and the responsibility passed. In 2008, John Alston took over as president of Alstons Furniture from his father.

During the life of the company it has manufactured sofas, sofa beds, sideboards, chairs and recliners.

Alstons Furniture continues to produce all of its production from its Colchester factory and is now one of the UK’s leading upholstery producers.