The other night my wife and I were talking about vacations and I mentioned to her that some day I would like to take a “shaving tour” of the UK: visiting the historic and otherwise noteworthy shaving locations, interviewing the “movers and shakers” of traditional wet shaving, taking video of some of the manufacturing facilities, etc. To my utter surprise my wife said “sure, why not!” So I started thinking about who and what we would see. Then I got to wondering who and what would YOU like to see as well! So help me out here, lets plan an itinerary for my “UK Shaving Crawl” (with a few tourist additions as well). I’m not saying I’ll do this next month (or even next year) but lets all sketch out an itinerary.
I’m sure we would fly into Heathrow and spend a few days in the London area (perhaps staying at 41?). Of course we would visit the usual places a tourist might (Buckingham Palace–do they still let visitors sign the guest book?, Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Parliament, various museums, the Royal Observatory, etc. Perhaps Savile Row? And we would travel just south of London to Cranleigh for a taping of Top Gear). But then it would be on to the great shaving establisments! Trumpers, Truefitt and Hill, Taylors of Old Bond Street, and DR Harris would all be on my itinerary (camera and camcorder in hand, of course). I would also like to sit down and have a chat with Will King of King of Shaves.
After leaving the London area we would head west to Hungerford, to visit The Gentleman’s Shop. Continuing west, with a stop at Stonehenge (we are tourists, after all), we would go to Lee Mill to visit the Shaving Shack. Then we would turn northward, through Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds (stopping to visit The Traditional Shaving Co.), Durham (to visit The Village Barber), ending up in Glasgow to visit Executive Shaving.
From there we would most likely back-track to hop a ferry to the Isle of Man to visit Vulfix/Simpsons!
I’m guessing it would take us about two weeks to do everything? What else should we do (shaving-related or otherwise)?
Just wondering if you managed a trip to the UK?
I was lucky enough to go recently and enjoyed visiting Truefitt and Hill, Tumpers, Taylor of Old Bond Street, as well as DH Harris. They were all fairly close to one another so it made for a fantastic day. I’d highly recommend them.
You lucky guy! Must have been a great experience. No, I haven’t been to the UK yet. Maybe next year.
Why not go to Wales? North Wales is stunning
Whilst there pop into Cardiff to the best barber shop in Britain, Windsors. Its been voted no 1:
http://www.windsorbarbers.com/news.html
Apologies, I should have written Blue Beards Revenge.
How about Kent brushes and Black Beards Revenge?
A shaving tour of the UK? Mantic, you rock!
As others have mentioned, Neal Jagger and the Edwin Jagger factory. Although the Simpson family no longer makes Simpson’s brushes, Gary Young would be a wealth of historic information. A chat with him should be quite enlightening. Since the Stoke-on-Trent potters have made many a traditional shaving scuttle, it might be worthwhile to pay a visit to some of those places. Burgess, Dorling & Leigh is one. And how about some of the artisan manufacturers? Fido, brushmaker extraordinaire, and Sharon Baxter at Nanny’s Silly Soap company, to name just two. Paul at Connaught Shaving might be able to make some additional suggestions. It might be worth paying him a visit, too.
Hi Mantic,
maybe you can reveal the secret/rumours of “Rooney – Brushmaker of London” – is there only a mailboy screwed to a house somewhere on a backyard any more or is there are real manufacture and people doing the work (in England… not China)… 😉
Regards
Ha-Jo
PS
if you are already in Europe come to Germany – Muehle brothers (brushes), shavemac, Wacker-Solingen, Merkur-Solingen… Speick Stuttgart… – OK take 1/2 year leave 😉
BTW if you do get a chance, divert to Ireland and take BE’s offer of the hot towel shave.
Relax and enjoy yourself!
If you make it over to Ireland I’d love to meet up and give you a hot towel shave!
And I will accept a hot towel shave! 🙂
Great! You can contact me via my blog e-mail to let me know when you’d be around 🙂
barbereileblog-at-gmail(dot)com
-at- = @
(dot) = .
What about taking the chunnel train over to Paris to visit Martin de Cadre? It’s not U.K. but you’re so close why not? Oh – and Paris has some other stuff there too…
I don’t think I’ll have enough time to make it to the Continent. That would be a separate trip.
Unfortunately, I’d forget visiting the Top Gear site. Tickets are allocated before each series for the audience, and they have an application rate of well over 3000% of the availability.
I’ve applied every series for years and never been successful.
But surely the would make an exception for me! 🙂
Between Hungerford & Lee Mills you pretty much pass Bath so it’d be rude not to drop in.
I think it’s the law that all American (and Japanese) tourists go to Bath.
What about Ireland? I know one B&B barber that would like to meet you, Barber Eile? Maybe even get a haircut and shave. What do you think?
Good idea!
What about Ireland? I know one B&B barber that would like to meet you, Barber Eile? Maybe even get a haircut and shave.
Bit2
Make sure you spend some time intereviewing and taking photos at the home of Mitchell’s Woolfat. I think there’ve already been more than a few pics of the storefronts in London. If Mantic could infiltrate the workshops, back rooms and inner sanctums of some of the icons it would be invaluable. Enjoy your trip!
I would certainly try!
Some say his face actually sharpens DE blades!
Some say his sweat is the secret additive that makes T&H shave creams smell so good!
All we know is he’s called The Stig….err…Mantic59
HAHAHA!! 🙂
When you’re in London, you’ve got to plan on visiting at least one famous pub. I recommend The Gun.
http://www.thegundocklands.com/index.php/history/
And the British Museum (which houses the Rosetta Stone) has no admission fee. You can spend a whole day there and it costs nothing.
Coates?
Cor, seems you have just about everything covered. Love a ‘wetshaver’ meet-up too.
Don’t forget Trumpers and Taylor of Old Bond Street, as well as D.R. Harris.
How about Edwin Jagger?
Egads how could I forget EJ? I even met Neil Jagger at the “Great Shave” event in Chicago last year.
What about Castle Forbes?
I had not thought of that. According to the website we could even stay in the castle over night. It would be great fun.
Harrod’s has a nice little shaving section in the basement. Don’t forget Penhaligon’s, Floris, and Chech & Speake.
Definitely a visit to Truefitt and Hill. My wife bought a two hour pamper session for Christmas. Haircut hot towel straight razor shave etc it was superb!!
You should defo try Quay Barber in the Isle of Man….fantastic shave…just on the marina
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