James Smith & Sons

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James Smith & Sons umbrella shop on New Oxford Street, London
Interior of the shop

James Smith & Sons is an umbrella shop in London. The premises in New Oxford Street is Grade II* listed.[1]

History[]

It was founded by James Smith as a single shop in Foubert's Place in 1830.[2] Further branches were established in Savile Row and New Burlington Street and the main premises is now in New Oxford Street. The shop-fittings there were constructed around 1865 and the shop still has a traditional Victorian character.[3]

In popular culture[]

  • In the 2011 movie Captain America: The First Avenger, the storefront of James Smith & Sons appears in the CGI background of a shot, but the name is changed to Henry Cooper & Sons.
  • In the 2014 biography A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal, historian Ben Macintyre includes the detail that Philby owned a James Smith and Sons umbrella
  • The shop featured in episode four of the BBC's 2015 production of Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime.[4]
  • In the movie Spooks: The Greater Good, the shop is used as dead drop point for agents contacting each other covertly.
  • The shop is mentioned and illustrated in the children's book Gaspard's Foxtrot by Zeb Soanes and James Mayhew.

See also[]


References[]

  1. ^ Historic England. "James Smith and Sons (1113171)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  2. ^ "History". James Smith. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  3. ^ Parker, Olivia (17 February 2012), "London's top shops: James Smith & Sons umbrella shop", Daily Telegraph
  4. ^ Raeside, Julia (17 August 2015). "Partners in Crime episode four recap – a brolly good adventure". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.

External links[]

Coordinates: 51°31′01″N 0°07′36″W / 51.516841°N 0.126660°W / 51.516841; -0.126660

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