IN GOOD HANDS
250 YEARS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AT
Swaine Adeney Brigg
Katherine Prior
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The first to tell the full story of Swaine Adeney Brigg, the
makers of luxury leather goods and umbrellas, this book
presents a wealth of items made by the various firms and
brands that came together to form the company we know
today. Brigg umbrellas and walking sticks, Swaine & Adeney
whips, Köhler hunting horns, Pendragon travel goods, and
Herbert Johnson hats are all represented and placed in
their social historical setting.
With more than 160 colour illustrations, including paintings,
historical prints and drawings as well as newly commissioned
photography, the book is an indispensable tool for collectors
and anyone interested in the lively interplay of trade and
craftsmanship in Britain over the past 250 years.
This then is the formula: honest material and the finest
craftsmanship that can be put into the moulding of it.
Edward Swaine Adeney, Jr, 1927
‘Beautifully illustrated with some of its exquisite equestrian accessories ...’
Horse & Hound
‘This book charts how the company adapted to changing times, including the advent of trains and motor cars and two world wars.’
The British Sporting Art Trust Newsletter
‘An unusually readable company history.’
Huon Mallalieu, Country Life, May 2014
‘If . . . you like to feel a connection with the unsung heroes that worked tirelessly to provide some of the finest hand-finished goods in existence,
then Katherine Prior is a first rate guide.’
Derek Jones, Furniture & Cabinetmaking, June 2014
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How has the firm of Swaine Adeney Brigg, one of
Britain’s oldest and most prestigious manufacturers
of leather goods and umbrellas, survived for so long?
What are the ingredients of its lasting success? This
book charts how the company has kept pace with
the shifting needs and demands of the marketplace,
seizing trading opportunities, for the most part
successfully, along the way.
Swaine & Adeney began as makers of driving,
riding, and hunting whips, becoming whip-makers
to the royal family. With the coming of the railways,
horse-drawn transport was greatly reduced and
demand for whips shifted away from driving
accessories to hunting and fashionable riding
accessories. As the twentieth century dawned
Swaine & Adeney survived the advent of the motor
car by applying their leatherworking skills also to
the making of luggage. Other equestrian accessory
companies were absorbed: J. Köhler & Son, makers
of coaching and hunting horns, and G. & J. Zair Ltd,
whip-makers of Birmingham.
In the dark days of 1943, Thomas Brigg & Sons,
London’s leading umbrella and walking-stick
manufacturers joined forces with Swaine & Adeney,
bringing with them their own long and impressive
history of craftsmanship and royal patronage.
Together, as Swaine Adeney Brigg, they emerged
into the post-war era with renewed vigour. The
hatters Herbert Johnson and the luggage-making arm of
Papworth Industries were later added to the group.
Neville Chamberlain, Margot Fonteyn,
Augustus John, and Stirling Moss have been
among the proud owners of the group’s stylish products, and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and
Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau both wore
Herbert Johnson hats. |
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Special attention is given to the Czilinsky family of
ivory and wood carvers and to the Dumenil family of silversmiths and stick- and pipe-mounters.
James Austin did the new photography for the book. |
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Foreword
Acknowledgements
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
| Swaine Adeney Brigg: The Founding Fathers
J. Köhler & Son - Hunting, Coaching,
and Signal Horn Manufacturers
G. & J. Zair Ltd - The Birmingham Connection
Thomas Brigg & Sons - Royal Umbrella-makers
Herbert Johnson - Hatters of New Bond Street
‘Pendragon Perfection - The skilled touch of craftsmen’
Looking Ahead
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Chronology
List of Illustrations
A Note on Sources
Index
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Katherine Prior is a freelance historian
and museum consultant. She has a PhD from
Cambridge University in the religious history
of colonial India, and now focuses her research
on the quirkier aspects of Britain’s domestic
and imperial history. She is the author with
John Adamson of Maharajas’ Jewels and the
author of The Daniells: An lllustrated Journey
round the World. Born and brought up in rural
South Australia, she now lives in London.
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Contact the
publishers or local agents for further information: Enquiries
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Please print off the order form and
send it by mail to John Adamson, 90 Hertford Street, Cambridge CB4 3AQ, England.
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