27 May 2016
From walking sticks to the YZ collection: a brief history of Henry Howell and Co.
Take a peek into Kew Gardens’ library collections to learn about Henry Howell & Co., once the world’s largest manufacturer of walking sticks.
Walking sticks in the 19th century
Henry Howell & Co. was founded in 1832 and was originally based at 76 Aldersgate, London. By 1895 the company had relocated to 180 City Road, London, employed over 460 people, and marketed itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of walking sticks.
Their exhibition catalogue, which we are fortunate to have a copy of in our library, lists them as manufacturers of ‘natural sticks of every description. Presentation canes. Cigarette sticks. Sword canes. Horse standards. Architects’ measures. Ladies’ and Gents riding whips. Driving whips. Hunting crops. Dog whips. Etc.’ However, their main focus and lasting legacy was their line of walking sticks.
The YZ collection
We are privileged to have over one hundred examples of Henry Howell & Co.’s work in our Economic Botany Collection.
The lovely objects in the YZ collection have not been hidden away in our collections, but have been the source of some recent research. In 2008, Ian Holdsworth came to study our collection of Howell’s items while working on his book ‘YZ: the eccentric, idiosyncratic and unique product design of Henry Howell & Co’, which is a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the company’s history, and which we have a copy of in our library. So not only is our library a useful resource for scientists – it’s great for historians too!
The YZ brand emerged shortly after the formation of ‘Henry Howell and Company Ltd.’ by Jonathan Howell on 4 November 1903. Bernard Charles Howell, a talented illustrator, soon joined the company, and it is he who is responsible for the novelty YZ designs. The YZ collection was something of a departure from Henry Howell & Co.’s earlier designs, consisting mainly of bird-shaped novelties, leading to the development of designs such as the one found on the cover of Ian Holdsworth’s book.
Decline of the Company
Sadly for Henry Howell & Co., the run-up to the Second World War saw a decline in the popularity of walking sticks, which were now viewed as mere frivolities rather than being a standard part of a gentleman’s outfit. The company went into receivership in 1936. There was a second incarnation of the company, Henry Howell (1936) Ltd., but on 14 March 1947, this too went into voluntary liquidation, and a firm that had once been the world’s largest manufacturer of walking sticks was consigned to the pages of history.
- Francesca Railton -
Library Graduate Trainee
Further reading
Holdsworth, I. (2008). YZ: the eccentric, idiosyncratic and unique product design of Henry Howell & Co.
