John and Shirley Long originally bought Hicklam House as a family home in the 1970’s.  Shirley then set up a small antique shop as a part time little business in what is now the tearoom.  They discovered the popularity of stripped pine furniture, so John soon left his job in the property world and together they established what became known as Aberford Pine.

There was a short time when the whole family was working in the business when Carol and William, both joined them. William eventually left to work in the wine trade and now has his own business William Long wines which is run from Madrid where he has lived for many years.

Sadly, Shirley died in 1986, but John continued to run it with his second wife Pam and Carol worked in it on and off whilst her children were small. Carol came back into the business when John retired in 2003 and has developed it since then to what it is today. She was joined by Kevin Duckenfield in 2009 and together they built up the Neptune showroom which we are still very proud of today. Since Kevins retirement, Carol now runs the business along with the vibrant and friendly team you see today