Industrial Islington

Timber

Above: Bartlett’s Export Packers, Battlebridge Basin (north-east corner)

Timber from the far reaches of the world came through the docks to timberyards, sawmills, and veneer factories that dominated the canal banks. Anderson’s timber merchants took over Harris Wharf in City Road Basin from a plywood importer in 1937 and used barges to transport wallboards. The company supplied timber for sets at the Gainsborough Film Studios and made prefabs and Hurricane bombers during World War Two. Tony Byfield said: ‘there were two or three timber wharves in City Road. They paid tolls for 3000 tons a year whether they had it or not – one barge every 2 weeks.’ Post-war, many timber companies switched to road transport.

Above: Timber barge towed by a tug, 1960s.

Ted Harrison saw ‘barges come up with big logs on them. They used to dump them off the barge and let them float in the water chained up. They kept them wet to stop them ‘shaking’ – when they dry out, they split open and it spoils the veneer.’ Brine Veneers in Arlington Street was ‘more like a visit to a museum in fine wood than a normal veneer store’. In the 1950s, Brine’s claimed: ‘it’s no exaggeration to state that the majority of decorative veneers used by shipyards in the British Isles originate from Brine’s veneers.’ The Royal Yacht Britannia and the Canberra were included. The plentiful supply of wood fed furniture and cabinet makers such as Dubetzky in New North Road. Negretti and Zambra had its own wood work shop making cases for scientific instruments like barometers. Cheaper woods were used by packing case manufacturers, such as Bartletts.

Above: Inside the wood workshop Negretti and Zambra

Above: Timber deliver to Henry Howell and Co.

Above: Timber stacked in a canalside yard near Southgate, in the 1900s

Exotic woods were used by pipe and walking stick makers near the canal. George Sims had a little workshop in Islington and a customer recalled: ‘he sold me many in-teresting pipes, including several ‘coffee pipes’ as he called them. Miniature apple style pipes, each big enough for a smoke over a cup of coffee. He happily showed me his machinery in the back of the shop, although his sister, who was often present, kept trying to get him to stop gossiping and go back to work!’ Henry Howell & Co at 180 Old Street was a world leader in the production of quality walking sticks. The Howell archive is held at Kew Gardens because of its international importance in the history of manufacturing in wood.