Tammy Priolo wrote:
>>I am now in the possession of my Great Grandfather's planer.
>>The inscription on the side reads as follows:
>>"H. Slater Maker Olerkenwell London". Does anyone know about
this maker? I am trying to date the thing. My Grandfather
>>came to Canada from England c1908.
>>It is about 10 inches long and 3 inches high and 1 =BD inches
>>wide. It is mostly steel with wooden inlaid handles on top.
Richard Wilson responded:
>would be Clerkenwell in the grand old City, and a quick search
>reveals
>H SLATER Meredith Rd. Clerkenwell London (1873 - 1877)...
The information from the online dealer's webpage, which Richard
consulted, is based on data from William Goodman's _British
Planemakers from 1700_, 3rd edition, c. 1993. I have some
additional information, but, first, here is the entirety of
Goodman's entry:
*******************
SLATER, Henry London
17 Wynyatt St., Goswell Rd. 1878 - 1872
Meredith Rd., Clerkenwell 1873 - 1877
SLATER, Benjamin
68 Charles St., City Rd. 1877 - 1887
& 252 High Holborn WC 1877 - 1887
SLATER, H. & Son
Clerkenwell Green < 1909 >
Metal planemakers with a considerable output.
Cast shoulder planes seem to be particularly common.
*********************
I included the last sentence, because Tammy's plane sounds like
a shoulder plane.
I've found additional information which complicates the above
information somewhat. For example, in an 1882 directory, Henry
Slater is simply listed as a hinge maker, at 34 Meredith Street,
Clerkenwell EC, while Benjamin is listed as a hinge maker ("sole
manufacturer of Redmund's & Gollop's patent hinges ..."), as well
as an "iron & metal plane maker, at 68 Charles Street, City Road
EC.
However, in another directory from 1884, Benjamin Slater is
simply listed as a hinge maker, at the 68 Charles Street address,
while Henry Slater is listed as the "sole manufacturer of
Redmund's & Gollop's patent hinges", as well as an "iron & gun
metal [bronze] Planemaker, Wholesale and Retail," at 34 Meredith
Street. Someone may have mixed up information while compiling
the directory, but this suggests the possibility that Henry
Slater may have continued making planes for some time after
1877.
In the 1891 directory, Benjamin Slater is still listed as a
plane maker, but at 69 Moreland Road. From 1895 until, at least,
1899, both Benjamin and Henry are simply listed as hinge makers,
Henry still at the 34 Meredith Street address and Benjamin
continuing at the Moreland address. Indeed, Benjamin Slater
was still being listed as the "sole manufacturer of Redmund's
& Gollop's patent hinges" as late as 1914, still at the
69 Moreland Street, City Road address.
In addition to Goodman's 1909 entry for H. Slater & Son, I've
also found the firm listed in the 1910 directory, still at the
Clerkenwell Green address. The firm has disappeared by 1914.
Unfortunately, I don't have access to any London directories
from 1900 to 1909, so have no means of determining if they
were in business prior to 1909.
Goodman doesn't illustrate any marks for these firms, so I
have no way of knowing what mark the H. Slater & Son firm
may have used. While it seems likely that Tammy's plane was
made during the 1873 - 1877 (1884?) period, there is a
little possibility it was made at the later period.
Don McConnell
Lake Placid, FL (temporarily)
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