The Brynmawr and Clydach Valley Industries was established by the Society of Friends (Quakers), one of many employment schemes eastablished between 1927 and 1931 to try to alleviate economic hardships as a result of the decline of the coal industry in the South Wales valleys after the First World War. The production of furniture like this was one of their most successful ventures and continued until the outbreak of the Second World War.
The furniture had a simple, distinctive design, and this , with the philanthropic nature of its manufacture, made it popular with middle and upper classes in England and Wales.
The National Museum of Wales has many pieces in its collection.