London furniture stores RIP
Memories of Maples
Lawrence Curley OAM remembers the distinguished store.
Greetings from Australia, January 2011
I was honoured to work at Maples Tottenham Court Road, then known as the 'Largest Furniture Store in the World’, for a short period in the late 60s and early 70s.
First I worked as a general furniture salesman (direct from Beard Watsons, George Street, Sydney) and then as the New Complaints Manager answerable to the General Manager Holmes and the Assistant General Manager, the late Tony Parsons, who sadly had committed his whole working life to Maples and at its demise committed suicide. Tony had the complete history of Maples up to the end. I wonder where it all went.
It was an amazing and I have so many recollections of the building. The then China and Glass Department had a gallery above it under which were panels of Lalique Glass. So beautiful in the winter months.
Striped tails and highly polished shoes
There was not only a doorman but a very formal receptionist named Bogard all bedecked in formal dress of striped tails, immaculate white shirt, bow tie, striped pants and the highest polished shoes. It was his role to ascertain what the customer required (and who they were) and who would attend same customer. A series of senior sales people called cabinet salesmen were on hand to Mr Bogard’s requests.
My own wife was not allowed to see me without an appointment! It was amazing - there were so many levels of rank. When you crossed Tottenham Court Road to Warren Street to a terrace house for a hot midday meal it was without question that you did not enter another level’s dining room as you would be asked to leave as I was a number of times when I had been elevated to the upper dining room but liked the company of the lower one. I was Management now.
On each floor under the direction of Mr Bogard, who if I recall, was a Count, there were further receptionists who would greet the customer as they departed the lift, discuss their requirements and then ring a buzzer for a salesman (not cabinet on the general floors) who would then be introduced to the customer.
There are so many stories. Maybe next time.
London furniture stores: RIP Bowman's
I was listening
to the radio recently and the subject came up of the large furniture store in Camden Town
that had closed down in the early 90s. No one could remember its name.
Well, for all you London-RIP devotees, the answer is 'Bowman's'.
Now it so
happens I’m thinking about refurbishing my house and I’ve become aware of
furniture being mostly either cheap crap or quality costing an arm and a leg,
and it got me thinking about the long lost furniture shop.
Slightly unctuous
Furniture stores were extensive shops filled with a hushed reverential air and slightly unctuous but invariably helpful male shop assistants dressed in suit and tie. There were floors with suites for bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. Whilst not cheap, neither were these stores as pricey as the current designer outlets. Bowmans’ was where my family bought many furnishings including our beloved radiogram.
Beautiful tiling
I remember their pantechnicons, good word that, being red with white and black lettering. It is now a selection of very mediocre Camden-on-the-slide shops. However, if you look upwards at first floor level, there survives some beautiful tiling with Viking motifs showing the craftsmanship of Bowmans, and I believe there is still an aged painted advert extolling the store.
Nothing remains of the famous Maples Store in Tottenham Court Road. This was more upmarket than Bowmans and its furniture was rather more bespoke. Their vans were also larger and painted a very distinguished dark green. I believe that my folks bought a particularly durable suite for the living room from Maples.
The advent of Habitat and out-of-town furniture warehouses killed these shops off and the British furniture industry was killed off by cheap flat-pack imports. Possibly the sedate tone of these stores was an anachronism, a gentlemen’s club full of home wares, but the products were very high quality and built to last.
Style irony
There is also a certain irony in that with the current vogue for 50s furniture, glass and ceramics, products bought from doughty old shops such as Bowmans and Maples are being re-evaluated as modern style icons.
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| Message: | 1/1 |
| Date and time: | 18/01/2012 at 10:43:23 |
| Sender: | G Bowman |
| I lived in Camden Town and knew the Bowmans furniture store. I then went on to marry a Bowman from the Manchester area and my Mother in law has just told me that she thinks we may be connected to the Bowman furnitire people. I am now on the hunt for more info. | |
