To our valued clients, trusted suppliers, and the incredible community of Eccleston.
We are writing to you directly to share an update following the significant fire at our workshops on Lawrence Lane on Wednesday night. While the immediate aftermath left our entire family and team in absolute shock, today our focus has completely shifted.
On a deeply personal note, this has been an incredibly heavy and upsetting event for myself, my family, and our entire team to process. My family has been working out of Lawrence Lane since 1929. I personally grew up here in Eccleston and have been working in these exact workshops since I was 15 years old. But even before that, from a very early age, I helped my mum out in the old DIY shop right where our main showroom sits today. Seeing the aftermath of the fire has been heartbreaking, but the deep history we have rooted in this village is precisely what gives us the strength to move forward.
First and foremost, Sue and I have been completely overwhelmed and deeply moved by the incredible wave of kindness that has come our way. The endless messages, phone calls, and generous offers of support—not just from right here in our wonderful village of Eccleston, but pouring in from far and wide—have left us absolutely humbled. In truth, we never truly realised just how much our business meant to people until now. Seeing this outpouring of love has made us incredibly proud of the heritage, the relationships, and the community we have built here at Matthew Marsden Furniture. From the very bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing by us when we needed it most.
We also wish to extend our deepest gratitude to the wonderful, brave team at the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. They dealt with a terrifying situation impeccably, acting quickly and professionally to prevent the fire from spreading further. We are incredibly thankful for their service.
I always knew we had an incredible team around us, but after this event, they have all completely surpassed expectations and proved what an incredibly strong team we really have.
I seriously need to extend the deepest, most heartfelt thank you to Dan Green, my co-director, who has been by my side for over 20 years, as has Jennifer Wilson, our Head Designer. Words cannot truly express our gratitude to them. Both Dan and Jennifer have been a monumental part of the success of this business, pouring their hearts into helping me build it into what it is today. To have their unwavering dedication, strength, and leadership right beside us through this crisis means more to Sue and me than they will ever know.
Alongside them, Ross Whittam, Jesse Bowerbank, and our daughter Holly Marsden have all been pulling together to put some sense into what has happened, and they have already started to plan our route forward out of this. Ross’s immense skill and knowledge on the manufacturing and workshop side is absolutely invaluable, and while it will be put to the test through this difficult time, we know he is up to the challenge.
Sue and I have also been completely amazed by the strength shown by Jesse Bowerbank and our daughter Holly Marsden. This has been a massive thing for them to deal with at their age, but their resilience has been incredible. Holly pours her full heart into the business and into each client, and her youthful, fresh designing skills will continue to elevate our company in the future. Jesse, who handles all our social media and client relationship things, will use that youthful enthusiasm to keep you all informed throughout our rebuild and comeback.
We also want to express our immense gratitude to our incredibly skilled cabinet makers in the workshop. Their unmatched talent, pride in their craft, and sheer determination to keep creating are the absolute heartbeat of Matthew Marsden Furniture. Knowing we have their loyalty and expertise behind us gives us total confidence as we move forward.
The Situation & Our Plan
The fire broke out in the far end of our workshops, severely impacting much of our final assembly rooms and our spray shop. Thankfully, nobody was injured. On the operational side, we were very fortunate: the main manufacturing area remains entirely intact and untouched, and only one CNC machine was affected. Because we operate two CNC machines, our primary manufacturing capacity is safe.
Yesterday, we were all in shock, running on empty, and trying to inform all our clients of the situation, alongside trying to secure the building and get our heads around everything.
Today, our comeback officially begins!
We refuse to stand still. In the grand scale of things, and measured against the deep-rooted strength of our company, this fire is nothing more than a temporary hurdle. A minor setback on our timeline.
The main workshop was completely unaffected by the fire. This means that as soon as Electricity North West reconnects us and we can make the site entirely electrically safe, we can get our machinery right back up and running.
Currently, being without electricity means we have no access to our usual office phones or internet. We are hoping we can gain electricity back to the offices at least very soon, which will give us full access to our project files and enable us to crack on with our current jobs—albeit limping along initially.
In the meantime, our comeback is already in motion. Dan has already made a visit to our second facility to evaluate the opportunities we have to install a brand-new spray booth and a final assembly line there. Our team is having a meeting this morning to actively plan and reschedule our current and future projects, allowing us to move forward as seamlessly as possible. We are not just recovering; we are building our way forward.
To Our Current Clients:
We are completely devoted to maintaining the high level of care and service you expect from us. Our priority is to keep you closely informed with clear, frequent updates as we navigate the days ahead. We understand how important your project is to you, and we kindly ask for your patience as our team pours their entire hearts and every ounce of hard work into delivering your furniture exactly as promised, without ever compromising the quality you deserve.
We give you our absolute promise that you will still receive your projects finished and installed with the exact same uncompromising quality and service that has put us at the top of the luxury bespoke fitted furniture companies in the UK. We will not compromise on our standards.
To Our Future Clients:
This is when we truly need you the most. Please do keep the enquiries coming in! Our showrooms remain fully open, and our design team is completely operational. If you are looking to start a new project, please reach out and speak to Jen or Holly. They would be absolutely delighted to have a chat and discuss your exciting new project with you.
From the bottom of our hearts, Sue and I would sincerely like to thank everyone. With the help of our incredible team, we will be back very soon—but bigger and stronger than before.
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
If you do need to speak to us urgently while our landlines are down, please call our direct mobile number provided in our previous post: 07842 443014.
With our warmest regards,
Matthew & Sue Marsden
Matthew Marsden Furniture
