I passed through London about a month ago, and had an afternoon to explore St James and Sloane Sq. I'm reasonably familiar with both areas, but this is the first time I've been to either with a shaving eye.
First, Andrews Pharmacy in Sloane Square. I wanted to visit this shop because it sells Simpson branded brushes. Now that Maitlands is no more, is was the only such shop in London that I could find (corrections welcome, of course). They also stock Vulfix brushes, TOBS, Trumpers, and other products. The shop was Dickensianly cramped. Looking over the stock, I saw a Duke 2, a Chubby 2, and my eye was caught by a Wee Scot. Asking to handle one, I talked to the white-haired proprietor about brushes and brush care. He tried his best to talk me out of the Wee Scot as a travel brush, saying that it was mostly used by military gentlemen who wear a partial beard and need very little lather for each shave.
This gentleman had a couple of interesting opinions about brushes. One was that they should never be squeezed or toweled, only shaken out. I mention this only because it seems like every second authority comes down against shaking, or against squeezing. I suspect that either is fine, in moderation.
His other interesting topic of conversation (for us - I doubt he raises it at cocktail parties) was brush cleaning. He didn't advocate anything at all aside from rinsing the brush and letting it dry. I specifically asked about borax soaks, vinegar soaks, shampoo, and conditioner. He allowed that if visible soap scum appeared, one might scrape it off with a fingernail.
After that interesting chat, I strolled over to St James. Since I had walked up through Green Park, I started on Piccadilly to confirm that Maitlands was indeed no more. The premises are now occupied by Santa Maria Novella. It looked like a nice shop, but Taylors was visible through the Arcade and commanded my full attention.
Inside Taylors I browsed a bit, and thought about what I might reasonably buy. Usually I avoid buying souvenirs while travelling, especially anything that would need to be checked. Finally I settled on a bottle of Mr Taylor talc. I have been meaning to try the scent, and liked the tester. £7 was a reasonable outlay, and it turned out to be a hit with my travelling companion, too.
Next I dropped into D.R. Harris and samples their Marlborough scent, but it didn't win me over so I continued to Truefitt & Hill. Halfway along, just in front of the offices of The Economist, a gent stopped me and asked the way to Trumpers. I directed him toward Jermyn St, but in retrospect I should have asked if he wanted the Curzon St branch.
Inside T&H I concentrated on brushes. One of the nagging questions in my mind is whether all Rooney brushes are created equal: is a T&H "Classic Silvertip Badger Small" the same as a 3/1 Silvertip or are there differences? After talking with the staff and handling a Wellington, I came to two conclusions. First, the staff that day didn't know much about their brushes. Second, the knot on the brush I handled was somewhat less dense than my second-hand 3/1 Super from Classic Shaving. But the question still isn't settled in my mind: density might be one difference between the Silvertip and Super.
Next I went back to Jermyn St and found the Czech & Speake shop. The staff seemed a bit put out when I asked about shaving soap. Probably they would have preferred to sell me a new bathroom. But I persisted, and they found a sample of Oxford & Cambridge for my approval. It smelled like nothing more than silly putty: pure tallow with no other scent at all. They couldn't locate a sample of the #88. I left without a purchase: probably the O&C was simply old, but I wasn't happy with the experience.
By then I was running out of time, so I toddled over to Trumpers on Duke of York St. This was interesting solely because I spotted several lamp-blacked Simpson-made brushes in their window. They looked like a Duke 2, a Chubby 2, and either a Colonel or a Polo. I wasn't able to talk my way into buying any of them, but a more silver-tongued member might prevail.
First, Andrews Pharmacy in Sloane Square. I wanted to visit this shop because it sells Simpson branded brushes. Now that Maitlands is no more, is was the only such shop in London that I could find (corrections welcome, of course). They also stock Vulfix brushes, TOBS, Trumpers, and other products. The shop was Dickensianly cramped. Looking over the stock, I saw a Duke 2, a Chubby 2, and my eye was caught by a Wee Scot. Asking to handle one, I talked to the white-haired proprietor about brushes and brush care. He tried his best to talk me out of the Wee Scot as a travel brush, saying that it was mostly used by military gentlemen who wear a partial beard and need very little lather for each shave.
This gentleman had a couple of interesting opinions about brushes. One was that they should never be squeezed or toweled, only shaken out. I mention this only because it seems like every second authority comes down against shaking, or against squeezing. I suspect that either is fine, in moderation.
His other interesting topic of conversation (for us - I doubt he raises it at cocktail parties) was brush cleaning. He didn't advocate anything at all aside from rinsing the brush and letting it dry. I specifically asked about borax soaks, vinegar soaks, shampoo, and conditioner. He allowed that if visible soap scum appeared, one might scrape it off with a fingernail.
After that interesting chat, I strolled over to St James. Since I had walked up through Green Park, I started on Piccadilly to confirm that Maitlands was indeed no more. The premises are now occupied by Santa Maria Novella. It looked like a nice shop, but Taylors was visible through the Arcade and commanded my full attention.
Inside Taylors I browsed a bit, and thought about what I might reasonably buy. Usually I avoid buying souvenirs while travelling, especially anything that would need to be checked. Finally I settled on a bottle of Mr Taylor talc. I have been meaning to try the scent, and liked the tester. £7 was a reasonable outlay, and it turned out to be a hit with my travelling companion, too.
Next I dropped into D.R. Harris and samples their Marlborough scent, but it didn't win me over so I continued to Truefitt & Hill. Halfway along, just in front of the offices of The Economist, a gent stopped me and asked the way to Trumpers. I directed him toward Jermyn St, but in retrospect I should have asked if he wanted the Curzon St branch.
Inside T&H I concentrated on brushes. One of the nagging questions in my mind is whether all Rooney brushes are created equal: is a T&H "Classic Silvertip Badger Small" the same as a 3/1 Silvertip or are there differences? After talking with the staff and handling a Wellington, I came to two conclusions. First, the staff that day didn't know much about their brushes. Second, the knot on the brush I handled was somewhat less dense than my second-hand 3/1 Super from Classic Shaving. But the question still isn't settled in my mind: density might be one difference between the Silvertip and Super.
Next I went back to Jermyn St and found the Czech & Speake shop. The staff seemed a bit put out when I asked about shaving soap. Probably they would have preferred to sell me a new bathroom. But I persisted, and they found a sample of Oxford & Cambridge for my approval. It smelled like nothing more than silly putty: pure tallow with no other scent at all. They couldn't locate a sample of the #88. I left without a purchase: probably the O&C was simply old, but I wasn't happy with the experience.
By then I was running out of time, so I toddled over to Trumpers on Duke of York St. This was interesting solely because I spotted several lamp-blacked Simpson-made brushes in their window. They looked like a Duke 2, a Chubby 2, and either a Colonel or a Polo. I wasn't able to talk my way into buying any of them, but a more silver-tongued member might prevail.
