The history of Delcor.
Delcor was established in 1967. We have spent over 50 years designing and handcrafting beautiful bespoke upholstery, entirely in our own workshops in Northumberland.
Read on to find out more about our long history and what makes Delcor so special.
Photo: Delcor House-then known as Seaton Delaval House whilst under the ownership of the National Coal Board. The steam locomotive engines were serviced in nearby buildings that remain there today.
A historic home for a well loved North East company.
Our home is an impressive Grade II Georgian house, built in 1838 for the local mine. It was originally home to the ‘Overlooker’ or manager of the mine. One of the Overlookers was called Robert Ornsby. He lived at Seaton House during 1896-1920. His wife Janet was a member of the Women’s suffrage movement and later became a founding member of the Womens’ Engineering Society.
The house is situated close by to the old mining village of Seaton Delaval and close to the historic Seaton Delaval Hall-home to the famous Delaval family. The hall is now under the care of the National Trust.
Photo: Delcor House is home to our showrooms and offices. It is also joined to our own dedicated wood mill and workshops where all our furniture is handcrafted.
Delcor was created in 1967 as a maker of high quality, bespoke British upholstered furniture, intitially created for show houses. We then started selling direct to customers via our own showrooms, which was very unusual and innovative at the time.
One of our original marketing tag lines was: ‘The manufacturer who sells direct to the customer’
In fact during our early years we continued to innovate with modular furniture, swivel chairs and the latest styles and trends. many of our original designs are still part of our range today, proving that original quality design lasts the test of time.
Delcor proudly combines a classical design history with the best of contemporary styles. Our workshops house our very own wood mill, where all our furniture’s hardwood frames are constructed. Our dedicated woodshop team are skilled at perfectly handcrafting each frame.
Photo: Hardwood frames handcrafted such as these Jarvis wing chair frames.
In our workshops a talented team of cutters, machinists, upholsterers are the very definition of artisans. With many years of combined knowledge they handcraft all of our furniture. Whichever showroom you visit, your furniture will be crafted here in Northumberland.
Showrooms offering inspiration for decades.
Delcor House is not only home to our offices, it is also a beautiful showroom housing our vast range of styles in inspirational settings.
Fashions of course come and go and here at Delcor we have always kept up to date with the newest and finest fabrics and leathers. We always offered a full range of designs and different options and became known for offering something different-the Delcor difference!
Find out more about our showrooms.
Photo: Brenda in our showroom in Delcor House during the 1970s.
Nowadays we offer even more choice in terms of the modification service-if you require more depth, height or reduced length-we can tailor your furniture to you and your home. With so many differing size homes today we can offer a truly bespoke service and create something totally individual for you. We also offer a range of different seat and back interiors to make sure your furniture meets your comfort needs.
Discover more about modifications and creating totally individual pieces.
Photo: The same showroom at Delcor House in the Summer of 2024.
Delivered with the greatest care since 1967.
One of our other points of difference is that we have always delivered our furniture ourselves. Our dedicated delivery team take great pride in carefully delivering your Delcor furniture and place it just where you want it in your home. If it is a large piece, or you have an awkward doorway or entrance, we can assemble the furniture in situ.
Find out more about our dedicated deliveries and assembly on site.
Photo: One of our original branded lorries parked outside Delcor House circa 1979.
When you purchase from Delcor you can rest assured, knowing your new furniture will be handcrafted with the upmost care by skilled artisans. Finally your new pieces will be carefully delivered to you and placed in your home ready for you to enjoy for many years.
Discover more information about the Delcor difference.
Photo: Dave one of our dedicated delivery drivers with Delcor’s Brand Manager Chris.
Take a trip down memory lane with this vintage promotional video from 1990!
This is a promotional tool from the archives. Customers could request to borrow this film in the form of a VHS video cassette to watch in their own home. It describes our retail operation and how we constructed all our furniture. It was filmed in our Newcastle Showroom which was situated opposite the historic Theatre Royal on Grey Street. It also features scenes filmed at our workshops here in Northumberland. Fashions have changed, but the Delcor values and construction techniques remain the same.
For more inspiration please read these further articles.
Find out what is at the heart of everything we create at Delcor.
Visit us! Experience true luxury at one of our destination showrooms.