For businessman Cliff Rust there was no greater honour then having his product sat on. The Queen did and thoroughly enjoyed it, as did the Sultan of Oman and, according to a 1970s newspaper report, The Bay City Rollers.

HK Furniture has been at the forefront of furniture design throughout its 80-year history, producing award-winning desks, chairs, sofas and seating for the most prestigious of commissions.

The company, based in the very south of Harringay at the former Omega works on Hermitage Road, were behind the famous Encore chair (on display at the Geffrye Museum), supplied the furniture for the QE2, Marlborough House, the royal train, the Bank of England and even the news desk for BBC South East.

The company recruited apprentices from local schools, training them into the master craftsmen the company was known for.

Tottenham-born former chairman Cliff Rust, who joined the company in 1960, has recently donated the company’s archives to Haringey Archive and will be delving into the company’s past in his talk, HK Furniture of Harringay – A History of Style, at Bruce Castle Museum.

Bruce Castle Museum, Wednesday, February 27 from 7pm. Details: 020 8808 8772