Crowden & Keeves’ Hardware
January 29, 2013
Richard Ince proprietor of James Ince & Sons, Britain’s oldest umbrella manufacturers, showed me this catalogue published by Crowden & Keeves in 1930 which had been knocking around his factory for as long as he could remember. Operating from premises in Calvert Avenue and Boundary St, they were one of the last great hardware suppliers in the East End, yet the quality of their products was such that their letterboxes and door knockers may still be recognised in use around the neighbourhood today.
The umbrellas were supplied to Crowden & Keeves by James Ince & Sons
You may like to read about these other favourite hardware shops
8 Responses
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Thank you so much for posting.
Wonder what we can do to enhance craftsmanship skills in our youth.
What every house needs – a Monkey stropper! 🙂 Wouldn’t this store be wonderful to walk through?
Wow, what an amazing collection of hardware!
Ferret muzzles and bells, banister brushes, bone smashers….!
As children we played in and around the area. The name was a part of our vocabulary although we didn’t take it’s spelling or function too seriously! (In fact not at all). And, as I remember, when we referred to the premises, we pronounced it as “crowd’nkeeves” all one word. Although it was a kind of local landmark, it had never really occurred to me that it was an actual enterprise!
An incredible collection of hardware from times gone by. Some of them sound like instruments of torture what with monkey stroppers, horse scrapers, toilet clippers and stropping machines not to mention castrating irons – truly the mind boggles…..
As an antique dealer in rural Australia , I still see these types of things at clearing sales on older farms and homesteads and there is a thriving market in this sort of everyday collectable –people love the workman-like tools and kitchen gadgets of what is now nearly 100 years ago !
My father had an “Ironcrete” garden roller, the solid roller itself has survived and now forms part of a water feature in my garden.
Gary
As an Australian descendant of the founders of the Keeves part of the Crowden and Keeves enterprise, I was delighted to see this catalogue. Thank you.