Throughout the Sodden Streets
When it’s miserable outside, some of our trustiest friends end up as casualties as they do their best to keep us dry.
Extraordinary gales finish off many of the weak or the elderly. Poignantly, they lie abandoned in the streets, many different generations left to decay amongst the slush of street life. I am of course speaking of the ‘bodies’ of umbrellas which have been left broken and contorted by their owners, unable to fulfil their function in conditions that they simply weren’t built to deal with. Suffering the indignity of no proper ‘burial’, swathes of twisted metal and fabric can be found all over the country’s public spaces.
© Jon Jordan 2013 http://www.flickr.com/photos/jontintinjordan/
I was gifted a brand new umbrella by Stephen Roberts.*** This was no ordinary umbrella, as it came from the legendary James Smith and Sons Umbrella makers on New Oxford Street, a company that’s been trading since 1830. Originally having premises down Fouberts Place, off Carnaby Street in Soho, James Smith’s son moved the company to its present location in 1857 and was part of a much larger business empire, which included a Hatters and Barbershop.
© Steve Cadman 2006 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecadman/
This Victorian shop is still in existence and thrives. I visited the other day and it was almost as if I’d stepped back in time: brown panelling lines the walls with antique prints adorning the carved woodwork, while the wares of the shop are on display being handled by tourists and enthusiasts. Influential figureheads such as William Gladstone and Bonar Law (often referred to as the ‘Unknown Prime Minister’ not only for his interment near the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey but because he had the shortest tenure of any PM) purchased umbrellas and canes from here. Row upon row of different types of umbrella and stick frame the shop, as they did when Victoria was on the throne. These brollys were built to last, and any damage or wear incurred on the products can be repaired and mended for a nominal amount of money.
Fond memories
Although it’s still intact and just about dealt with the gale-force winds we’ve had recently, my trusty pointing Umbrella is to be retired. My new James Smith and Sons one (which I’ve christened ‘The Savage’, after Montague Fowler’s shotgun) is superior and more importantly, easier to brandish. As I mourn my old friend and reflect how its withdrawal from active service is nicer than being cruelly binned, I pause to think of all the old brollys that are quietly rusting away on pavements and alleyways, their crumpled spokes embodying the demise of usefulness.
Perhaps you’ve seen broken Umbrellas on your travels? Take a picture and share it with us!
***said umbrella was lost on a bus in April 2017. A replacement from James Smith and Sons was bought – I hope the Savage Mk 1 is doing his new owner sterling service 😫
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