Thread: Drew & Sons Picadilly Circus Straight Razors

Thank you thats very intresting

I waled down North (upper) Audley street in the week to see if there where any silversmiths lift on the street but all had gone.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Nope.

I did find out that Samuel Summers Drew left the company in 1909

Attachment 130488

This left the company in the hands of Samuel's brother Ernest Drew and Samuel's son, John Summers Drew. They registered a silver mark in 1914:

Attachment 130493

I am not sure if Ernest had any children. Born in 1860, he would have been thinking of retiring himself in the next decade or two. John Summers Drew did have a son - Charles Edward Summers Drew, born in 1908. However, he seems to have chosen another occupation, for we find him listed as working as Assistant Keeper of the Public Records Office in 1930:

Attachment 130494

As for Drew & Sons, there is a record of a change of name to Drew & Sons (Picadilly) Limited in 1900. In 1973 The Department of Trade published a list (as they always do) of companies that would be struck off the register in 3 months time, among which was Drew & Sons (Piccadilly) Ltd.:

Attachment 130496

I am supposing that means that accounting records had not been submitted for some time - probably for the companies agreed returns period. Companies House shows that Drew & Sons (Piccadilly) was indded dissolved as a company.

It looks to me as if they just petered out. Maybe they worked from the silversmiths in Upper Audley Street for some time, or he just bought their left-over stock when they stopped trading. It's annoying that the silversmith's name was not given.

Regards,
Neil

I have spoke to lots of people around Mayfair to see if they remember the sign. there is no Upper Audley Street as i know only north Audley Street and South Audley Street. There suggestion it may have been on Mount Street the street connect to North Audley Street but no luck yet.

I think some more of Martin Drew's info must be incorrect.

The 1826 'Picture of London' (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green) makes no mention of an Upper Audley Street in its extensive notes and list of streets.

The 1891 London Census Transcription includes a 'Complete Listing of the Streets of London' - this from the 'A' section:



Just to be thorough I checked the 'U' section for Upper Audley Street, the 'N' for North Audley Street and the 'S' section for South Audley Street - no mention of Upper Audley Street there either.

Sheppards 'Survey of London' 1980 does not list an Upper Audley Street.

My yellowing London A-Z of 1998 has no mention of Upper Audley Street.

All I can draw from that is that there never was an Upper Audley Street, and therefor no silversmiths in a road that never existed. Most of Drew & Sons premises seem to have been in Picadilly and Mayfair, and most of the prestige jewlellers/silversmiths/goldsmiths seem to have been located in South Audley Street (eg McMichaels, 42 South Audley Street from 1876 to 1905 and then 48 South Audley Street until c1919; and Henry Tessier at 32 South Audley Street from 1841 and various Tessiers are still in the jewellery business in the area today). Being charitable, one might excuse someone confounding Upper Grosvenor Street which crosses one end of South Audley Street and come up with Upper Audley Street, but the whole area there looks residential.



There is one bit of colloquial evidence that part of the area was loosely termed 'Upper Audley Street' - someone records going to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square (which divided North and South Audlet Streets) then going to a nearby chemists on the corner of Upper Audley Street, but he either meant Upper Grosvenor Street junction with beginning of South Audley Street (unlikely - the only business there is Hamptons International and that is actually in South Audley Street) or Upper Brook Street, which marks the end of North Audley Street.

Unless the actual citation is qualified with some facts, then I fear your search for Upper Audley Street will be fruitless.

Regards,
Neil

I think he meant North Audley Street was just a mistake. but no one remembers a jewlellers/silversmiths/goldsmiths on it. The only one in the area any one can remember is Roy King on Mount Street.

Fascinating thread, here's mine! 6/8, full hollow, ivory scales, high quality whoever made it.

You have to go back a fair bit - 1830s - 40s - to find jewellers, watchmakers, goldsmiths and silversmiths in North Audley Street. Most if not all were long defunct by the time period we are talking about for the silversmiths in so-called Upper Audley Street.

late 1820s to mid 1840s: Alex Purvis, No 4, watchmaker (movements in gold and silver cases)
1830s - 40s:William Watson, No 25, watchmaker (movements in gold and silver cases)
1840s: Pickett, goldsmith
1840s: William Eddington, jeweller

I'm sure there are others, but the old ones keep cropping up all the time and no new ones or even early 1900s - 1950s ones.

Regards,
Neil

Thank you for this information. Its a bit of mystery where the sign was.

I checked with company house there no records have survived and there no info at any archive i know of.

Imagine my surprise! Just minutes ago I received my 7 day set of Drew razors and while starting a search I came across this 3 yr old post. And it resurfaced now! And the G-G Grandson contributed. How ironic.
Well, anyway, I rushed to snap a few photos , I'll take more if you like as some of these are less than desirable and get them posted.
I love the set, the box, the history.
These are in need of a little help as one of the scales is cracked but no big deal to fix. For what I paid I'd say I didn't so much buy them but stole them considering they're ivory, the style of the blade, the burl box with brass inlays etc.
Hope you enjoy them.

Very nice pictures

No, they were pretty bad but I rushed to get something posted. Since then I took a few more. Sorry about that.
And the others here, though they aren't Drew's,, are just a few of my other Ivories. Hope you don't mind. The case says Wostenholm, and there are two of them, but the others are a mixed lot. No matter though as I love them all.
I've also since ordered the stock to make the repairs of the scales to have a complete set. And they'll look much better once I have a chance to clean them up.