. . . just this week I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow backsaw-net-iste (Thank you so much, Ray, for creating & inspiring & making this digital place), in London adjacent a sadly worn statue of King Charles the second. We strolled, nattering of saws & lives, past many, many Ghosts, including those of a notorious, handsome, yet knowingly horrid brothel . . . . . . . . . along Sutton Street to just beyond that gentleman's Chaise; where, in May 1810, saw-and-plane-making paused, as the mighty 4hp engine went under-the-hammer . . . . . . or perhaps just skipped a decade . . . until, in June 1823, the hammer fell again upon: . . . then we, old ex-Londoners with happy memories, strolled along past Awful Developments: . . . perhaps 75 metres South along what was once Crown Street, and an earlier, 1809 auction of 4hp enterprise: . . . past (across the road, at #27) the unkindly arraigned (by Joseph Howell), in 1802, Armell Jones . . . . . . to continue our short & circular walk to #2 Greek Street. Where we consumed the finest bottle of Champagne I've met since a Bollinger RD in the late 1970s; a "Binome". . . . . made organically by Julie Dufour. And the folk next table in the restaurant insisted on holding the - brought-along-for-gloating - HOWEL
. . . . . it was; with thanks due to you. BTW Georgian saw-makers' premises in this small but vivid area between Soho & St Giles included: #s 3&4 Sutton Street - 1803-1823: "Shepley & Brain", succeeded around 1810 by: "John Brain" & "Porter" #22 Crown Street - 1794-1809: "George Stevens" (previously of 102 Wardour Street, later of 25 Berwick Street), succeeded around 1800 by: "Williams" (previously of 102 Wardour Street) #27 Crown Street - 1802-1833: "Armell Jones" succeeded before 1816 by: "Joseph Smith" Images of backsaws bearing the stamps of two of the two Sutton Street concerns have kindly been shared here . . . . if anyone has a saw from the Crown Street makers . . .
David - Hi - Oh! Excellent! . . . such an elegantly small radius between cheek & bevel . . . & are those 3/8" flat saw-screws? Thick-shafted 3/8" saw-screws? (& the traditional splodge of green paint, o joy)
And then there's the earliest tenant at 102 Wardour St, from the Sign of the Golden Saw, William Squire, who made this saw.
Just arrived is this plausible claimant for c1800-1808/9 Edward & Robert Williams at 22 Crown Street/George Yard: