LG Wilkinson - Savile Row?

Dear Readers,

I came upon this question and, as proprietor of L.G. Wilkinson, I thought I should provide some details on our firm.

L.G. Wilkinson was established at 11 St. George Street by grandfather, Leslie Garnham Wilkinson, in 1919. The Shop had two existing firm, Rous & Forbes and Kerslake & Dixon Ltd, which were the first of several firms which we have absorbed. Grandfather was the third general master tailor in our family. His grandfather, David Robert Wilkinson, opened our first shop in 1847 up in Boston (Lincolnshire) which is now a dressmaker. Our second shop in Boston is now the post office in Pump Square.

Grandfather had spent the first world war training in a tailor's shop in Antwerp. On returning to London, he was encouraged by loyal customers to set up on his own. During the 1920's, 11 St. George Street was a hub for bespoke tailoring and couture. Our firm occupied the ground floor and basement whilst we let the upper floors to other firms.

After the second world war, my father (Dennis Wilkinson) spent his military service from 1946 to 1948 in Klagenfurt where he was involved in counter espionage (primarily sorting out communists who were up to no good in the area). On returning to London, my father decided to expand our business through export. Kerslake & Dixon Ltd, which was still trading as an independent company but was fully owned by L.G. Wilkinson, had a good customer base in The Netherlands. My father started regular sales trips to The Netherlands in 1949 using both company names.

In 1953, grandfather passed away at the age of 65. My father, Dennis Wilkinson, became the proprietor at the age of 26.

After five years of developing The Netherlands, my father entered the German market from 1954 with two visits a year. He would drive his car, an Austin A40 Sports followed by a black 2.4 Mk1 Jaguar ( both registration number LGW 500) to Hamburg, Hannover, West Berlin, Bonn, Frankfurt, Duesseldorf and Krefeld. Krefeld was perhaps the most lucrative market as it was the centre for most textile machinery manufacturers.

By 1962, L.G. Wilkinson was travelling four times a year to The Netherlands and Germany, as always with LGW500 (by now on a black Series 1 3.8 E Type). It was possible to take up to 30 suits in the E Type for fittings only by having fitted luggage made for the car. In the late 1960's I was induced into the world by a car accident in the E Type which luckily was strong enough to withstand a heavy side impact from a Mini.

In the 1970's, business flourished in East Berlin despite the hassle of exporting to this part of the world. LGW500 was now on a black 2.8 Series 1 XJ6 and L.G. Wilkinson had become well known in the classical music world for looking after conductors.

Following an 11 period between 1976 and 1987 travelling with a white Rover SD1 (registration OUL 424R), L.G. Wilkinson returned to using LGW500 on a black 3.6 XJ40. The period from 1987 to 2001 saw my father achieve his best sales figures for Germany. His 1989 autumn trip to Berlin coincided with the fall of the Wall. in 2001, LGW500 was transferred to a 3.0 X Type which served my father on his trips until 2005. In August 2006, my father died but his ashes are boxed and on display in our Shop's window.

In 2006, I determined a five year plan to turn 11 St. George Street back into a centre for bespoke tailoring. The upper floors had been let to various unrelated businesses and, as their leases ended, I completely refurbished each floor and returned it to its function as in the 1920's. By early 2011, we had achieved this plan and now have new generation bespoke firms on three of the upper floors as well as the design studio for Aquascutum.

Our next five year plan will see L.G. Wilkinson significantly expand its own bespoke tailoring activities, now that we have three workshops full of tailors. Our export markets remain continental Europe and LGW500 continues to travel to customers in this region up to a dozen times a year. Almost all travel is undertaken by car (with LGW 500 supported by 2 E Types and 2 XJ6's) so that customers can view an extensive range of current and old cloths. We are the only firm which can still provide antique cloths and trimmings to customer's needs.

L.G. Wilkinson has 4 full time cutters and a workshop with coat makers, one waistcoat maker, three trouser makers and a small team of alteration tailors. The building has 12 cutters, who have collectively trained at Huntsmans, Pooles, Dege & Skinner, Anderson & Shepherd and Kigour, French & Stanbury and are therefore never short of opinion and expressing it! Our workshops supply garments to the majority of firms in the Savile Row area.

L.G. Wilkinson does not advertise and relies on personal recommendation for new custom.

I hope this brief history is of interest and we look forward to your visit to No.11.

Kind regards,

D.H. Wilkinson

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grammaton Cleric 

Thank you for posting. Good to get more information on the history and current status of LGW.

 +1

I assume there are no US trips in the offing?

Following a 10 year gap, we now carry out a Spring and Fall trip to the US, stopping at Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York. From the early 1960's until his death in the 1980's, we had P.C. Deas travel out twice a year on 6 week trips. He used to go out on one of the Queens (Elizabeth or Mary) and was disappointed if he had not taken 20 orders by the time he reached New York! These days we fly which is not so good for business!