G. W. Sims

[ssjones]

Nice pipe detective work!

 

[milk]

How is the stem-work on that pipe?

 

[tobakenist]

I love it, great find.

 

[Mo Pentel]

In doing some digging, I found the Junction Road address in a 1975 phone directory:

(Edit: I'm not sure why the quality is so poor, it shows up better until I upload it. The address is 110 Junction Road).

View attachment 259954

In his shop on Junction Road, Mr Sims fitted me with my first pipe when I was 13 or so!

1968, I think. My dad was a regular customer, and I knew him well enough to joke with. He was a very nice man

 

[Mo Pentel]

I can't find anything either. There's nothing on Companies House with addresses at either Junction Road or High Holborn that looks relevant.

I don't remember him ever being High Holborn, but the shop in Junction Road was his base at the time he died. I am not 100% certain, but that is my best recollection.

 

[ssjones]

Any update on the pipe - did you restore it?

 

[BingBong]

As far as I have been able to work out, he was based at the City Road address as a pipe manufacturer at least as early as 1935, and as a tobacconist as early as 1927. He moved to the Riverside Road address at some point in the late 50s. He then moved to the Junction Road address by 1966, and no longer appears after 1978.

In 1914, there is a G. W. Sims at 71 City Road (Pipe Manufacturer) and a G. W. Sims & Co at 148a Essex Road (Pipe Manufacturer and Repairer).

I never would have guessed they'd been going so long, with so little information available!

There is no Riverside Road any more, but I suspect that it would have run adjacent to the remains of the New River (an early water supply canal) to the west of Essex Road. In the late '60s, that whole area was levelled to build the Marquis Estate, now the New River Estate. Junction Road is in the Tufnell Park area - I passed through there on Monday on a Number 4 bus.

Islington seems to have been a real hotspot for pipe manufacture at one time, it keeps popping up in these historical discussions. Having lived in the borough for over 40 years, it's an eye-opener for me!

 

[jaingorenard]

Any update on the pipe - did you restore it?

I haven't, it's still in its box somewhere. Lots of stuff is still waiting to be unpacked after moving house! I'll have to dig it back out.

 

[jaingorenard]

I've seen a few more turn up in the past couple of months in the same boxes.