London’s yacht-chandler Arthur Beale will close its doors on June 24, after being in business for more than 500 years. Located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in what is now London’s West End, the store is shutting down due to high rents and the impact of the pandemic.
Originally founded by rope-maker, John Buckinghams, sometime around 1500, no one knows how old the business is exactly. In 1890, Arthur Beale joined the company as an office boy. The shop was re-named after him in the early 1900s.
In addition to providing supplies for ships and yachts, their rope was used for British expeditions to Mount Everest and Antarctica. The firm also supplied ice axes to polar explorer, Ernest Shackleton; the flagpole for Buckingham Palace and rigging for escapologists, and the window displays of Selfridges department store.
How did a chandlery end up in London’s theater district? In the 16th Century, large numbers of flax plants were grown in fields in that part of London, which were used to manufacture boat sails and rope.
“The shop started off life as a rope maker, so all the materials had to be as close as possible to where the rope was being made,” co-owner Hugh Taylor told the BBC.
“A lot of people think it’s bizarre that there’s a yacht chandler in London but 500 years ago the Thames was pretty important from a nautical perspective and all the Everest explorers would come to the shop in London for their supplies,” he added.
Although Arthur Beale will close next month, Mr. Taylor said the company will be opening a warehouse outside London and become an e-commerce business
“Our hope and aspiration is that we will be home for Christmas in a pop-up, and then one day in the future, we hope to return to London.”
Thanks to d dobs for contributing to this post.
I used to work just a two minute walk from this chandlers and did occasionally buy stuff. It was always a bit strange seeing other gentlemen in business suits walking out of the store carrying large fenders or coils of rope.
Our local favorite chandler is still in their location because the landlord forgot to give them required notice for intending not to renew their lease.
There are apparently still not enough coffee shops and haberdashers here in Seattle, those numbering only in the thousands to perform the difficult work of selling indistinguishable products into a saturated market, as against a tiny handful of stubbornly persistent nautical supply houses still helping to signify the difference between this city and any other. Hence the urgent need to boot out another chandler for replacement w/yet more coffee and personal drapery vendors.
That is very sad news. My father took me there more then 60 years ago to show me what a proper Yacht Chandler was. Still remember that visit as if it were yesterday.