At Arthur Beale
Did you ever wonder why there is a ship’s chandler at the top of Neal St where it meets Shaftesbury Avenue in Covent Garden. It is a question that Alasdair Flint proprietor of Arthur Beale gets asked all the time. ‘We were here first, before the West End,’ he explains with discreet pride,‘and the West End wrapped itself around us.’
At a closer look, you will discover the phrase ‘Established over 400 years’ on the exterior in navy blue signwriting upon an elegant aquamarine ground, as confirmed by a listing in Grace’s Guide c. 1500. Naturally, there have been a few changes of proprietor over the years, from John Buckingham who left the engraved copper plate for his trade card behind in 1791, to his successors Beale & Clove (late Buckingham) taken over by Arthur Beale in 1903, and in turn purchased by Alasdair Flint of Flints Theatrical Chandlers in 2014.
‘Everyone advised me against it,’ Alasdair confessed with the helpless look of one infatuated, ‘The accountant said, ‘Don’t do it’ – but I just couldn’t bear to see it go…’
Then he pulled out an old accounts book and laid it on the table in his second floor office above the shop and showed me the signature of Ernest Shackleton upon an order for Alpine Club Rope, as used by Polar explorers and those heroic early mountaineers attempting the ascent of Everest. In that instant, I too was persuaded. Learning that Arthur Beale once installed the flag pole on Buckingham Palace and started the London Boat Show was just the icing on the cake. Prudently, Alasdair’s first act upon acquiring the business was to acquire a stock of good quality three-and-a-half metre ash barge poles to fend off any property developers who might have their eye on his premises.
For centuries – as the street name changed from St Giles to Broad St to Shaftesbury Avenue – the business was flax dressing, supplying sacks and mattresses, and twine and ropes for every use – including to the theatres that line Shaftesbury Avenue today. It was only in the sixties that the fashion for yachting offered Arthur Beale the opportunity to specialise in nautical hardware.
The patina of ages still prevails here, from the ancient hidden yard at the rear to the stone-flagged basement below, from the staircase encased in nineteenth century lino above, to the boxes of War Emergency brass screws secreted in the attic. Alasdair Flint cherishes it all and so do his customers. ‘We haven’t got to the bottom of the history yet,’ he admitted to me with visible delight.
Arthur Beale’s predecessor John Buckingham’s trade card from 1791
Nineteenth century headed paper (click to enlarge)
Alasdair Flint’s office
Account book with Shackleton’s signature on his order for four sixty-foot lengths of Alpine Club Rope
Drawers full of printing blocks from Arthur Beale and John Buckingham’s use over past centuries
Arthur Beale barometer and display case of Buckingham rope samples
Nineteenth century lino on the stairs
War emergency brass screws still in stock
More Breton shirts and Wellingtons than you ever saw
Rope store in the basement
Work bench with machines for twisting wire rope
Behind the counter
Jason Nolan, Shop Manager
James Dennis, Sales Assistant
Jason & James run the shop
Receipts on the spike
Arthur Beale, 194 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 8JP
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Fascinating. I’ve always wondered how they could make enough money to afford the West End rent. Enjoyed the ‘Only Fools & Horses’ visual pun.
What a wonderful place! Valerie
Walked there so often, never noticed. Must remedy very soon. But I still don’t know how one ended up there in the sixteenth century. Need to look at an old map, I think.
Thank you – I really enjoyed their Christmas window display with the seal breaking through ice! I also remember they had a branch in Mayfair, Albemarle Street I think, and was devastated when it disappeared. Long may they go on.
Another wonderful curious find gentle authour. One of my favourite shops in the world is the ships chandlers in Bembridge, Isle of Wight. They are a satisfying as a really good old fashioned stationers. This one looks marvellous. Part shop selling useful things and part museum. Ideal. I shall definitely pay a visit.
A magical place—love the computer on the worn counter and the old clock on the wall.
Time has stopped for no man (person).
Here’s to another 400 years!
Great story and pictures. Good for Alasdair Flint! Long may he and the shop survive, barge poles at the ready against developers and other untouchables.
* * * * * Five stars!
An amazing place. Glad somebody else thought of Fools and Horses too.
LOVE the photos here. it’s always so cool to find such places of such purpose and utility. makes a person dream of other very hands-on lives.
Having had several broken lines, I bought rope for a washing line here about 30 years ago and it is still going strong! though has unfortunately lost its colour.
I also bought soap for use in sea water.
A brilliant write up?
It’s one of those shops you can just enjoy being in even if you don’t want to buy anything … Not that I’ve ever been able to do that.
What a wondreful trip down memory lane,as a child my mother would take me into a similar shop in Dartmouth,she was skipper of the local sea rangers and we would spend days aboard the sea ranger MTB moored by Old Mill Creek.That was in the days when boats smelt of varnish and rope,bet this shop smells just the same
I love specialist shops like this and it was one of many which we were sent out to explore when I did my course in Display Design back in the Seventies. The college shared a building with St Martin’s in Charing Cross Road and at that time there were plenty of really useful suppliers still based in Covent Garden including specialist canvas shops like Russell and Chapel, and theatrical paint suppliers Brodie and Middleton.
I’m so pleased that Arthur Beale has managed to see off the developers and I was interested to read that Flints have taken it over – hurrah! We still use Flints theatrical chandlers a lot but unfortunately their inner London premises has fallen victim to the rampant developers and so it is no longer possible to browse through their big shop testing out brushes, being tempted by all the different paints and glitters etc! But they have a brilliantly informative and chatty catalogue giving lots of useful ‘goss’ about their products, and their online service is very efficient so they should continue to be the best suppliers in the business.