Pollocks Toy Shop Hoxton

Many of you may have heard of Pollocks museum and toy shop which is based In Fitzrovia London but I was doing some research the other day around Hoxton and looking into old photos of Hoxton Street Market. When I came across an old photo of Pollocks toy shop and printers so I dug a little deeper and realised that this is where it all started dating back to a man by the name of John Redington who was born in 1819 described himself as a "Printer, Bookbinder and Stationer; Tobacconist; and Dealer in miscellaneous articles", opened a theatrical print warehouse at 73 Hoxton Street in 1851.

 Redington was an agent for the toy theatre publisher John Kilby Green, and when Green died in 1860 Redington bought up his engraved copper plates. Redington ran the Hoxton Street business until his death in 1876, following which his widow, youngest son William, and daughter Eliza carried on with the business; but soon only Eliza Redington was left to run the print business.

Until she married Benjamin Pollock where they ran the shop together. The business that Benjamin Pollock had inherited consisted of the toy theatre sheets of both J. K. Green and J. Redington. The material subsequently sold by Pollock was therefore predominantly from these previous publishers, with the imprint changed to 'B. Pollock until Benjamin’s death in 1937 he hand printed, constructed and coloured much of the toy theatre material which you can now visit in the museum today.

Today the shop produces its own range of toy theatres by contemporary artists such as Kate Baylay and Clive Hicks-Jenkins which have been displayed at Liberty, Fortnum & Mason and the Royal Opera House. It sells reproduction and original toy theatres from around the world in addition to books, puppets, music boxes and other traditional toys.

During the 1880s Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop, as it was now known, was still opposite the Britannia Theatre at 73 Hoxton Street in Hoxton. The shop was unfortunately subj.ect to bomb damage during the Second World War.
Today a plaque marks the shop's original location on Hoxton Street.

Photo 1: Redington’s shop on Hoxton street as depicted on a ‘twopence coloured’
Photo 2: Benjamin Pollock outside his shop in Hoxton Street
Photo 3: Possibly Eliza Benjamin’s wife outside the shop
Photo 4: Children peering into the shop window in Hoxton street
Photo 5: Taken in 1937 inside Pollocks Toy shop
Photo 6:  Pollocks Museum and Toy shop today in Fitzrovia
Photo 7:  Victorian theatres inside the shop today

The Handkerchief with a story....

When looking through my Great Nanny Ives things I came across a handkerchief that is hand embroidered with the emblem of The Royal Fusiliers with a blood stain, I wondered who this must have belonged to.

I went onto do some further research it appears that the handkerchief belonged to my 2 x Great Uncle Charles Edward Ernest Graham, my great Nan’s brother.

Charles was born on 20 September 1899 and grew up in 88 Ironmonger Row St Lukes Finsbury, now part of the London Borough of Islington today. When Charles signed up at the age of 18 years for service he’s occupation was a Carman he fought in WW1 with The Royal Fusiliers in 3^rd London Regiment and 10^th London Regiment as Private Charles E E Graham.

On the 1^st September 1918 he received a gunshot wound to his left hand in France Charles fought in the Battle of the Somme and was injured in Pont-Remy he was sent to The Holborn Military Hospital in Mitcham after the wound healed he was sent for a medical, he was left with impairment he could no longer grip using the left hand he was discharged and sent to the reserve. This gun shot wound most probably saved his life in the long run, whilst researching I came across various photos of men in Charles regiment and it made me wonder who got the chance to come home to see their families and who didn’t make it.

The Royal Fusiliers War memorial, a monument dedicated to the almost 22,000 Royal Fusiliers who died during the First World War, stands on Holborn in the City of London.

In 1921 Charles was awarded the Victory Medal and British War Medal

Charles later married his wife Ivy in 1927 in Shoreditch they resided in Forston Street Shoreditch then moved back to Islington (Packington Street) in 1934 and in 1939 his occupation was a lead and tin metal caster.

Charles wife Ivy passed away in 1969 and Charles later passed away at the age of 75 in 1975 and was laid to rest with his wife in Newham.

Sources 

Photo 1, 2 & 3 Handkerchief

Photo 4, 5 & 6 Soldiers from The Royal Fusiliers 

Photo 7 Royal Fusiliers Badge

Photo 8 Royal Fusiliers Memorial in Holborn

God Bless Uncle Charles