The London Walker

There is a unique and beautiful shop tucked away on the other side of the busy thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road and its well worth a visit if you’re in the area. Its known affectionately by most Londoners as a direction finder, if you say ‘close to the umbrella shop’, most locals will know what you are inferring. James Smith & Sons Umbrellas, established in 1830, is an iconic London institution and renowned for its craftsmanship in umbrella making. Located at 53 New Oxford Street in London, a stones throw from the British Museum, the shop is a glorious time machine. The moment you step inside you feel like you are entering another world; wrapped in mahogany walls cluttered with fine walking sticks, staves, stags heads, barometers and clocks; on the worn glass counter, there are leather lined order books and ledgers, filled with penned scribbles; there’s a real palpable sense of time in here and its rather delicious.

Born in 1830, amidst the clatter of horse-drawn carriages on cobbles, streets crowded with top hats, bowlers and boaters, the founder James Smith opened a small shop just off Regent Street, dedicated to the manufacture and sale of umbrellas and walking sticks. It comes as something of a surprise that in a country where there are at least 100 ways to describe rain that up until the early 1800s Londoners often braved the elements with little more than a flimsy parasol or a rolled newspaper. Smith saw an opportunity, a city drenched a large amount of time in rain, needed more effective barriers against the sky. Thus those early umbrellas James Smith manufactured in the West End quickly gained a reputation for their durability, excellence and elegance.

The gentlemen of London have entrusted the making of their umbrellas to James Smith & Sons for over 185 years. Whether combining a bowler hat with the Slim Rolled Umbrella in The City of London or using a Solid Stick Umbrella as a walking aid, the little umbrella shop on the corner of New Oxford street continues to produce umbrellas of the best quality – James Smith & Sons website

The company was quick to embrace innovations. In 1851, Samuel Fox revolutionised umbrella design with the invention of the lightweight steel frame, making them more accessible and increasingly popular. Before this, umbrellas were often fragile and made with whalebone ribs that were expensive and easily damaged. Steel ribs offered a sturdier and more affordable construction and James Smith & Sons led the way in adopting this technology for their umbrellas here in London. They very much had their fingers on the ‘foldable-canopy’ pulse.

The business expanded, and by 1857 it had moved to its now-famous location at 53 New Oxford Street. The shop itself is a Victorian marvel, with a distinctive storefront that has remained largely unchanged, showcasing traditional craftsmanship in both its architectural details and its products. Amidst all the endless change in this part of the city, towering Centre Point, the cavernous new Tottenham Court Road station, its remarkable that this fascinating place has managed to survive, and seems to be still flourishing.

James Smith & Sons Umbrellas has attracted a variety of notable customers over the years, ranging from aristocrats to celebrities, the list is pretty extensive and includes the likes of four-time prime minister William Gladstone, Lord Curzon, Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier and David Niven.

As mass-produced goods have become more prevalent, as things no longer seem to last, we live in a plastic automated machine built world, James Smith & Sons remain steadfast in their commitment to the work of the trained craftsman. The company continues to make umbrellas and walking sticks by hand, using honoured techniques, ensuring that each product is not only built to last, but also built beautifully.

The shop on New Oxford Street has become a tourist attraction in its own right, celebrated for its unique charm and visual appeal. Not only is this a place worthy of a visit for the curious and enquiring mind, its worth thinking as you take it all in the importance that these places have, not only in preserving and reminding us of our past, but also, I find its a reassurance that they will be here into our future. It stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of quality and tradition in our changing age.