NOVOCASTRIAN was founded in 2014, though our origins trace back through generations of skilled shipbuilders and metalworkers.
Not so long ago, North East England was the workshop of the world. At the turn of the 20th century, half of all ships built globally were launched on the Tyne or the Wear. Meanwhile, the Great North Coalfield mined 56 million tons of coal each year, powering industry and employing nearly a quarter of a million men.
For many of us, it takes just a generation or two to trace our roots to a shipbuilder or coal miner. Craft, resilience, and hard graft are in our blood.
Sadly our region’s industrial might has since waned, but NOVOCASTRIAN is a means to celebrate our heritage and rethink it for the modern world.
The shipbuilding tradition on the River Tyne dates back to at least 1296, when a 135-foot wooden galley was constructed, marking the region’s early commitment to maritime craftsmanship.
By the 19th century, Newcastle had become a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, with shipbuilding and heavy engineering at the heart of its prosperity.
Shipbuilding on the Tyne, 1906
By the 1960s it was common for working class communities in the North East to grow up in the shadow of vast, towering steel vessels. The sea of cranes and clang of hammers represented a booming industry in full swing, employing generation after generation. Two World Wars surged demand.
A young caulker at a Tyneside yard, 1943, Cecil Beaton
HMS Uganda sliding down the slipway at the Walker Naval Yard, 1941
The journey of NOVOCASTRIAN’s founder Richy began with his dad Paul, the last in a long family line of Tyneside shipbuilders.
Paul trained as a metalworker then a draughtsman, and worked in the yards through the period of decline in the 1980s. A mix of political mismanagement and suicidal union action eventually brought a once mighty industry to its knees, and yards began to close one by one. The coal pits soon followed, and tens of thousands of men for whom these industries once felt like a birthright, were unemployed.
A forward-thinking Japanese car manufacturer saw opportunity in the region and set up a huge plant, making use of the surplus of skilled labour. Richy’s Dad, born and bred in working class Byker, had an entrepreneurial streak, and against the odds established a small family metalworking business with wife Rosalind to feed the plant’s supply chain.
Richy, who spent school holidays in the family workshop earning his pocket money, developed an early appreciation for making.
Paul Snr at his desk, c1990
As the 2000s rolled around, most of the heavy industry which once dominated North East England was gone, and Education, Education, Education was the flavour of the day. Richy became the first in his family to have the opportunity to go to university, and decided to study architecture. After stints in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London he headed to the Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 2010, in the midst of recession.
The Glasgow School of Art by the legendary Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who continues to play a key influence in NOVOCASTRIAN's aesthetic
Optimism soon wore thin as the search for a graduate job in architecture proved elusive. Not a single practice in Scotland or the north of England appeared to be hiring. An offer from a friend of a two-week contract at a London luxury interior design studio appeared the only option and so Richy headed south once again.
He believed it was a temporary measure as the economy recovered, and that he'd soon head back to 'proper' architecture, but two weeks led to two months, then to two years. He began to relish a world where time, budget, and consideration could be applied to every detail. It's also where he first crossed paths with Andrew, who would later join NOVOCASTRIAN as a Director.
Richy was now happily working in London’s luxury residential design sector, but still felt a strong affinity with home and his family tradition in making. He didn’t see how the two worlds could possibly interlink.
The lightbulb moment arrived in 2014. Whilst specifying a bespoke metal lamp shade and noticing the practice was paying a high price for poor quality. He sent the drawings to his Dad and asked for a price. It came back at half of what the studio was paying, so he gambled and commissioned one. A week later an order of six was placed for a villa overlooking a Swiss lake.
At the same time, Richy had been designing metal furniture for friends and family in his spare time. Suddenly it all became crystal clear — there was a way to fuse his passion for interior design with a family heritage in making.
The concept was formed. NOVOCASTRIAN was born.
The Slate Binate coffee table, 2013 — the first piece Richy designed, and still his favourite
Novus NEW
Noh—voh—KASS—tree—uhn
Castrum CASTLE
NOUN
A native or resident of Newcastle upon Tyne
ADJECTIVE
Of or relating to Newcastle upon Tyne
ORIGIN
From Medieval Latin
Further designs followed, including the Staiths Shelving, and long weekends were spent exerting blood, sweat and tears in perfecting them. Richy’s childhood mate Mark, a talented graphic designer, mucked in playing a crucial role in getting the brand on its feet and helping to define its visual identity.
Richy’s brother Paul provided drive, determination, and a scientific mind as we began to develop our patina finishes.
Our original intention was that our products would be manufactured in Richy’s family workshop, but it soon became apparent that to specialise in the way we wished to, we would have to make our work in house. We had to build a team.
Richy’s youngest brother Dean, himself a metalworker in the family tradition, provided the early making skills.
Industry friends and colleagues provided huge support, specifying our work where they could. We began to collaborate and to exhibit our work, starting with Design Junction in 2015.
Mark and Richy, mucky and exhausted, with our first collection, 2014
Mark and Paul review early finish attempts, 2014
Paul prototyping a dining table, 2014
The Best of British, an early feature in The Telegraph by Caroline Camp
Dean assembling an early Staiths unit, 2016
The original Staiths Shelving — inspired by the structures of Victorian industrial relics in the River Tyne
Friends and family join us at our first trade show, Design Junction, 2015
The Welder, an early collaboration with Faye Toogood as part of The Cloakroom exhibition at the V&A Museum, 2015
Our first award, Best Newcomer at the Northern Design Festival, 2015
Our first Special Project, the Sonor Boardroom Table, 2014
By 2016 we had some core principles and a handful of strong products in place. We needed to get others on board, to sell the vision of what NOVOCASTRIAN could become. In 2016 we employed Sarah to run the office, she would later become our Business Development Manager.
Soon after Marcus came onboard with his vast metalworking experience. His skillset would push us to new levels, and he would soon lead our workshop. More products followed. In 2018 Andrew arrived as a Director, bringing a wealth of experience in the luxury furniture industry and an enviable contact book. All three took a punt on us and the vision, and we began to construct a team around them.
We were working from a cramped, rented corner of another company’s workshop, but continued to grow our collection. Having been asked by our clients about the possibility of wall-mounting our patina finishes, we also formally launched our Surfaces offering.
Marcus, James and Alex in our first workspace — a hired corner
Richy & Paul — weekend patina trials
Marcus
Andrew
Sarah
The Port Free Mirror, 2017
The Stanhope Coffee Table, 2018
Black Oiled Steel panelling at our first surfaces job, 2018
Richy, Sarah and Andrew — Decorex 2018
Tata Mirror, 2019
Athwart Dining Table, 2019
Covid took hold as we secured our first dedicated workshop, perhaps inevitably, it was the workshop in which Richy spent those school holidays lending a hand as a young lad.
Thankfully, as makers, we were able to continue running, albeit with great difficulty. The team pulled together and seen us through, aided by vast quantities of hand sanitiser.
Our Master Craftsman Marcus teaching young Jack his trade
Issy joined us in 2020 as a finisher, and would go on to become our Sales Manager
As we continued to grow our collection and refine our methods, we found it increasingly difficult to recruit team members with transferrable skills. Our offering was becoming more niche each year. We made the decision to invest in our region's youth, and began training in-house.
In 2021 we recruited Jack, our first apprentice, who would be guided through a rigorous three-year education in metalwork by Marcus.
The Otterburn Chess Set, 2021
The Yohan Cabinet, 2020, image courtesy of Pernille Lind Studio
Our confidence grew, and we continued to push ourselves. Our name became synonymous with mirrors and tables, but what more could we do? An early foray into cabinetry came in 2020 when we figured out how to build an entire filing cabinet from brass with the Yohan.
In 2021 Richy decided to develop a chess set for the 30th birthday of brother Paul, a keen chess player. He looked towards deepest, darkest Northumberland for inspiration, a region once plagued by medieval battles. The result was the Otterburn Chess Set, which would later inspire the Otterburn Chess Table.
Felix joins the team as Senior Designer in 2022
Our workshop, 2022
The Insulator Pendant B with the Egg mirror
The Insulator Sconce 0 and Sconce A
Another year of innovation followed, with 2023 marking perhaps the biggest leap in our capabilities and ambitions. After years of deliberation, we felt ready to develop our long-awaited first lighting range, the Insulator Collection.
Soon after, we unveiled the Otterburn Chess Table, a Special Project that truly demonstrated the full extent of our abilities, celebrating a decade of hard work and dedication.
The Otterburn Chess Set
A proud moment as Jack becomes our first employee to qualify from apprentice to metalworker
We continue to evolve our brass-wrapped cabinetry offering with the Carvel
The Hagstones, a collaboration with Britannicus Stone, celebrating British stone
Get in touch to discuss your project, and we’ll bring your vision to life with bespoke craftsmanship and attention to detail.
With our manufacturing base in North-East England and a permanent presence in London, we work with clients across the UK and internationally. Our team can also travel for installations, ensuring a seamless experience wherever you are.
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