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

The direct ancestors of the present family started the business which 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 became a furniture dealer as well, selling from premises at 95 North Street, Sudbury. The Alstons Furniture business prospered and it moved to 9 Old Market Place, Sudbury in 1875. Both of William Alston’s sons, Hammond and Percy, worked in the business and together they created one of the first all-electric workshops.

The Old Market Place premises were also converted into a retail furniture store, with additional workshops. One of which would eventually form the beginnings of 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 coir matting factory in Long Melford. The business was established with a bank loan of £6,000. Leslie’s brother Roy joined him there to help run the new company. The company later adopted the Albro trademark as short for the Alston brothers, and this continued into the 1980s.

During the Second World War the Long Melford factory switched production to ‘utilitarian’ bedroom and dining room furniture. Additional work was also taken on to make coffins for the war effort.

Later in the war the Long Melford factory was burnt down and new premises were sought in Ipswich. Initially production resumed at the Wrinch factory in Nacton Road, Ipswich. Land adjacent to Wrinch’s was also purchased and a factory built by joining war surplus Nissen cabins to form a linear building and a continuous furniture production line created within it. This temporary structure survived until 1971 when a new building was erected over the old cabins to ensure not an hour of production was lost.

The Alstons Furniture cabinet 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 made bedroom furniture during this period. In the 1950s and 1960s this focused on teak veneered, walnut and mahogany finished bedroom furniture sets (a set comprising a ladies’ wardrobe, gents’ wardrobe and dressing table). The 1970s saw the introduction of modular bedroom furniture ranges in veneered and painted finishes.

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

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

The recession of the early 1980s led to a contraction of Alstons Furniture and the satellite factories were closed and production and investment were consolidated at the Colchester site. Until 1995, Alan Alston remained responsible for the operation of Alstons Furniture. In 1995, David Alston, Alan’s youngest son, became Managing Director of the company and the responsibility passed.

Over the life of the company it has manufactured sofas, daybeds, sideboards, chairs, and recliners.

Alstons Furniture continue to make all of their production from their factory in Colchester and are now one of the UK’s leading producers of upholstery.