Adrian Woodhouse Mon, May 7, 2018

1960's Regent Umbrella Testimonial

I thought you would like to see these pictures of one of your garden umbrellas, purchased from your firm 60 years ago, which was put back into use once more in England yesterday. My family lived in Calcutta in the 1950s and early 1960s ( I was born in the Elgin Nursing Home, Elgin Road) and my parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Woodhouse, bought the "Regent” umbrella in about 1958 for use in our garden in Burdwan Road, Alipore. I discovered the umbrella, still in its original bag, and its foot-plate while clearing out the attic of my parents house in Surrey south of London a short while ago. Since we are enjoying a period of beautiful sunshine in England. I put the umbrella to use for the first time in my own garden in Nottinghamshire which is 150 miles north of You will see that, despite the passage of time, the umbrella remains in beautiful working condition and the marvelous bamboo and brass-work, stamped with the name of your company as you will see in the photographs of the details, are a testimonial to the quality of your firm's craftsmanship. Do any other of your Regent garden umbrellas from the 1950s survive, I wonder? And, by any chance, do your sales ledgers from that period survive? If so, the exact date when my parents bought the umbrella from your firm might be traceable. With my very best wishes and, if I am able to revisit Calcutta at the end of this year as I hope, I shall be sure to call in.