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CHAMPION & WILTON
(Images 1 – 8).
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1786
Established by Mathew Wilson in Oxford Street. |
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1825
join with Wilkinson & Co becoming Mathew Wilson
& Wilkinson. |
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1855
Henry Champion
purchases the
Company, now known
as Wilkinson &
Champion. |
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1875
Henry Staines Wilton
buys the company now
known as Champion &
Wilton. |
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1893
Blackwell’s Est.
1794 in Oxford St,
purchased by
Champion & Wilton. |
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1901
Wilkinson & Kidd Est. 1786 in Hertford Gardens,
London purchased by Champion & Wilton. |
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1915
Henry Staines Wilton
dies. William
Palmer Wilton
inherits Company. |
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1940
Purchase Whippy
Steggall & Co Ltd.,
Est. 1782, in North
Audley Street. |
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1957
Major W. P. Wilton
dies leaving firm to
shop manager
Reginald Arkell. |
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1958
Champion & Wilton
move to North Audley
St, three doors from
Whippy Steggall’s
old premises. |
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1961 During last quarter
Reginald Arkell
dies. W. & H.
Gidden Ltd., purchase the
Company. |
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2000 Last year Champion &
Wilton (Wholesale)
Ltd., listed with
Companies House.
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Held
Royal Warrants to
Queen Victoria, King
Edward VII, King
George V, King
George Vi, Queen
Elizabeth II, and
the Duke of
Edinburgh. In
addition the German
Emperor, Queen Maud
of Norway and Queen
Wilhelmina of the
Netherlands. |
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F.W.
MAYHEW & CO. (Images
9 – 17).
Frederick William
Mayhew began trading
in the early 1880’s
from 41 Seymour
Place, Bryanston
Square, London.
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1891
Patented wide triangular side saddle pommels. |
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1920’s pioneered the
short and narrow
offside flap. |
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1927
Patented the “Lightweight Side-Saddle,”
reinforced with aluminium. |
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1928 The Twingrip,”
leaping head for
jumping in the
forward seat. See
image 16. |
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Ceased trading
shortly after WWII.
Miss Mayhew gives
patterns and records
to Major Wilton of
Champion & Wilton.
Held
Royal Warrants to
Queen Victoria, King
Edward VII, King
George V, King
Edward VIII, King
George VI, and the
King of Spain and
the Czar of Russia.
The
saddle featured in
Images 13 – 15 was
purchased in
September, 1999.
The seat was badly
damaged and the
leather board like.
The panel had come
away and was home
to heavy insect
infestation. The
tree however was
sound. Restoration
was completed in
March, 2001.
It
had originally been
made in December,
1907, and is an
offside “Lissadell,”
model.
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OWEN
& CO. (Images 18 –
24).
Founded prior to
1839 by Henry Owen
trading from 125
Mount St, Berkeley
Square, London.
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1900
around this time
introduce the “Flat
seated side saddle.”
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1930
By this time The
Middleburg Saddlery
Co. Virginia, U.S.A.
sole U.S. agents for
Owen & Co. |
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1940
– 47 Between these dates A McDougall & Son.,
(Est. 1770), 22 City Road, Finsbury Square, London
E.C.1. have
purchased Owen &
Co.
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1959 W & H Gidden
Ltd., (Est. 1806),
purchase McDougall &
Son.
Held
Royal Warrants to
Queen Victoria and
the King of Italy. |
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The
side saddle in
Images 18 – 20 was
found in a builders
skip. The panel had
been eaten away by
moths. Restored
from tree up in
2008. |
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G.
SMITH & CO. (Images
25 -27).
George Smith was
trading in 1839 from
2 Crown Row, Mile
End Road, London.
He specialised in
Army saddlery and
exported to the
Colonies. Still
trading in 1921 on The
Strand, London, WC.
The
saddle featured in
Photos 1 – 3 was
made for export to
Kenya in the early
20th
Century. It returned
to England in 2002. A rare example of a
side saddle with “Fans behind and a Shifting
Panel,” as used in military officers astride
saddles. |
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