The Last Great Umbrella Makers of London

James Smith and Sons has occupied the same corner of New Oxford Street since 1857. Inside, walls are lined with hundreds of umbrellas and walking sticks, many made on the premises using methods unchanged for a century and a half. A Smith umbrella begins with a solid stick of maple, cherry, or whangee bamboo.

Construction involves over sixty individual operations. The frame of eight steel or fibreglass ribs is assembled and fitted. The canopy, cut from a single piece of fabric, is hand-sewn to the frame. The ferrule is fitted. The handle is shaped and attached. Each step takes years of skill to learn.

The stick is what separates the two traditions of English umbrella-making. In a solid-stick umbrella the shaft and handle are one length of chestnut, maple or malacca, steamed and bent into a crook over a former, then held in that shape for weeks, so the grain runs unbroken from ferrule to hand and the thing can be leaned on. The alternative is a separate handle glued and pinned to a tube, quicker to make and the first place a cheap umbrella fails.

London's umbrella tradition reflects the city's relationship with rain. The modern umbrella arrived in England in the mid-eighteenth century, popularised by Jonas Hanway. By the Victorian era, no gentleman was complete without a rolled umbrella, and London supported dozens of specialist makers.

A Smith umbrella opens and closes with smooth precision. The canopy is tensioned evenly, creating a taut dome that sheds water efficiently. The handle, sized for the hand, provides comfortable grip for hours of carrying.

Fox Umbrellas, established in 1868, represents the other great surviving English maker, specialising in slim frames and inventive handles. Between Smith and Fox, the full range of English umbrella-making tradition is represented.

Fox's contribution predates the company. Samuel Fox of Stocksbridge patented the Paragon frame in 1852, a rib rolled into a U-section rather than turned from solid wire, which cut a frame's weight sharply and made the tightly furled town umbrella possible. Almost every quality umbrella built since uses some version of it.

The challenge is competing against imports costing a fraction of the price but designed for disposal. A handmade umbrella can be re-covered, re-ribbed, and re-tipped, extending its life indefinitely. A cheap umbrella becomes landfill at the first gust.

Care amounts to one rule: never leave a wet umbrella rolled. Open it, stand it on the handle so water runs off the tips rather than down into the ferrule, and furl it only when dry. Cotton canopies rot and steel ribs rust at precisely the point where a tight roll traps moisture. Expect roughly a hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds for a solid-stick Smith, and considerably more for horn or silver mounts. A re-cover, when the canopy finally goes, costs a fraction of a new umbrella, and both houses will do the work.

Visit https://www.james-smith.co.uk to browse the range. A proper umbrella is not merely rain protection; it is a daily companion rewarding investment with decades of reliable service and the satisfaction of owning something made to last.