StoryGnat #26: Henry Walton Smith
and his son, William Henry Smith
Hey StoryGnatter,
How’s things? I’m tired. It’s been A Week.
And while I'm normally (always!) organised and up to date with writing these, I’m here drafting this one from my sofa, way closer to 10pm on Friday night than I’d like!
While I remember, a reminder that next weekend will be a StoryGnat-free zone thanks to the bank holiday. I’ll be off enjoying myself with family and I hope you’ll be managing to take a break, too.
Anyway, back to Mr Henry Walton Smith, and his son, William Henry - otherwise known as…
W. H. Smith
UK readers will recognise the name, because WHSmith stores have lonnnnnnggg been a familiar sight on every high street in the country. And because the brand hit the headlines last month with the news that it’s soon to disappear from those shopping streets. If you missed it, catch up here.
If you’re not from the UK or don’t know the brand, they were basically the go-to for everything from stationery and art supplies to books and magazines. No back-to-school shopping was complete back in the ‘90s without a haul from Smiths.
Henry Walton Smith started the first WHSmith store with his wife Anna waaaay back in 1792. I know - “mad” King George III was on the throne, Jane Austen hadn’t even started writing Pride & Prejudice yet and Washington DC had only just been founded - it wasn’t yet a whole year old.
The amazing thing is that the family remained involved until the last family member left the board of the company in the late 1990s. Incredible.
Other amazing things about WHSmith include these lovely fact-lets:
They had an overseas branch as early as 1903 (Paris)
They ran a lending library service for over a hundred years (1860-1961)
They came up with the book numbering system that was later adopted as ISBN.
Honestly, there’s more than I can write about at 9.58pm on a Friday night, so I urge you to go and find out for yourself. I’m linking to a couple of pages owned by the brand themselves - but mindful that they might disappear soon with the takeover, I’m also adding a couple more. They all have different things to share, from facts to archives and some glorious old photos. Enjoy!
Reading Uni’s page about the WHSmith business archive - fascinating stuff!
Grace’s Guide - WHSmith entry - this one has some fabulous pics
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks, promise.
Meg