James Smith & Sons
BESIDES ‘QUALITY’, ‘CHARACTER’ was the chief criterion I employed when drawing up my list of places for inclusion in this book. What do I mean by that? Nothing more than an identity so distinct that it couldn’t be manufactured. In addition, it should be quintessentially ‘London’: so much so that it couldn’t exist elsewhere in the world, or even elsewhere in Britain. On that basis, James Smith & Sons wins the ‘character’ contest hands down.
Permit me to start from the outside, then work my way in. Occupying the same corner site on the outskirts of Bloomsbury since 1857, Smith & Sons is an extraordinarily rare example of Victorian retail architecture. Over and above immense plate glass windows mounted in wood and polished brass, florid lettering in red, black and gold describes, exhaustively, the wares and repair services procurable within. What are those wares? Why, umbrellas, of course: those essential – because so necessary – adjuncts to every Englishman’s wardrobe. And not just umbrellas, but walking sticks, shooting sticks and parasols too, ranging in price from as little as £20 to close to £3000. Both personal and personable, Smith’s team ministers to new and repeat customers alike with a knowledge and professionalism commensurate with the 19th century trappings of what can only be described as a bona fide London landmark.
See also: Budd, John Lobb, Henry Poole & Co
