Occasionally in London you find somewhere that really transports you back in time. James Smith and Sons, London’s oldest umbrella shop, does just that.
The beautiful mahogany, painted glass and brass frontage on New Oxford Street immediately stands out from its more modern neighbours.
You can peer in through the window and you admire the displays, but there’s no need to stand outside like a Victorian street urchin! Read on to have a look inside…
The History
James Smith set up his umbrella business in 1830 on Foubert’s Place in Soho. The umbrellas were made in a little workshop out the back of the shop and sold out the front.
In 1851, a lightweight steel frame was invented by Samuel Fox. James Smith II was one of the first umbrella manufacturers to use this new frame and the business became very successful.
A larger establishment was needed and they moved to the current premises at 53 New Oxford Street in 1857. This makes it not only the oldest umbrella shop in London but potentially in Europe.
The Grade II listed Hazelwood House was constructed, along with New Oxford Street itself, from 1844-47, to clear the ‘rookeries’ and slums of the St Giles area. The current shop front is thought to, according to the Historic England listing, date from the 1870’s.
For a time James Smith and Sons also had a shop on Savile Place. It was reportedly so narrow that an umbrella could not even be opened inside. This shop catered to the highest strata of Victorian society including statesmen Gladstone, Bonar Law and Lord Curzon.
When this tiny shop was knocked down for a new road, they opened a premises on Burlington Street near Piccadilly Circus. This shop was bombed during the Second World War, leaving just the New Oxford Street branch remaining.
The Shop Today
The shop front and interiors remain pretty much unaltered to this day and the whole place is an eccentric Victorian time capsule.
You will of course find all manner of cane, walking stick and umbrella, including; the ‘folding umbrella’, ‘sun umbrella’, ‘the slim’, ‘the city’ and ‘the solid stick’.
Every nook and cranny displays a wonderful collection of products.
The exterior also tells you of items that would have once been sold here, including dagger canes and sword sticks.
A sword stick is essentially a walking cane with a concealed blade These were very popular accessories amongst the well-to-do of Victorian society and were legal up until 1988!
You can also admire the phantasmagorical array of walking stick handles.
I particularly love this one depicting Lord Nelson, although I cannot imagine it is particularly comfortable to hold…
All in all it is a wonderful, rare, surviving treasure; a window into Victorian London and I can only recommend that you go in and have a browse and perhaps treat yourself to a new umbrella.
Are you interested in visiting or would like to find out more? Visit their website here for more information.
The shop can be found here (WC1A 1BL):
It is open Tuesday-Saturday 10.30am-5.15pm and the nearest tube stop is Tottenham Court Road.
Thank you for reading, more quirky London spots below!
The Savoy Chapel: A Hidden Gem Just Off The Strand
Turn off the busy Strand onto Savoy Hill and not only will the noise levels…
10 Beautiful And Historic Spots To Explore In Autumn
London is, by UN standards, an ‘urban forest’. The sheer number of trees and the…
The Only Surviving Residence Of Artist JMW Turner
On what is now a quiet residential street in Twickenham you will find the only…
Top Ten Spots For Seeing Beautiful Georgian London
The Georgian period (1714-1830) is a fascinating time in Britain and London’s story. It was…
What an eccentric shop! How on earth did you discover it?
Hi June, certainly is. Cannot remember how I first came across it- most likely was walking past and was drawn in by the amazing exterior!
They’re certainly unique! I remember getting my first walking stick from them, around 2006. I was measured (for the correct length), and had a long discussion about what handle would best suit my needs as I’d recently become mildly disabled (a right-hand asymmetric Derby grip was the answer). I was then told it would take half an hour to cut to length, fit a brass ferrule, and a walking-stick rubber foot, so I popped over the road for a coffee. When I returned, it was ready. Perfect, in fact … so much so that when after 12 years the stick needed replacing, I made a special journey from Worcester to London to re-visit them.
Hi Nick, what a great story and brilliant to hear about the impeccable customer service! Warm wishes, Jack
I first saw this shop 60 years ago on the 134 London bus from my childhood home in Muswell Hill. I worked in central London most of my working life and whilst I passed the shop never went in. On a trip to London a couple of years ago (after retirement) I went in and purchased an umbrella, when speaking to the salesman he mentioned he lives in Muswell Hill!
Pingback: #SoCS May 20, 2023 – Mukhamani
Just sent this to my uncle he made a few walking sticks of animals heads! A guy on Google left a great review saying how detailed the staff service was and took loads of great pictures a few weeks ago.