SIMPSON'S SHAVING BRUSHES

London, England | Established 1919

Made by hand. Preserved through generations.

The Beginnings of a British Brushmaker

In 1919, as Britain emerged from the devastation of the First World War, a Scotsman named Alexander E. Simpson began making shaving brushes in London.

The traditional shaving brush was already a familiar instrument. For generations, barbers and gentlemen had relied upon it to prepare shaving soap, work up a rich lather and soften the beard before the passage of a razor.

Yet the apparent simplicity of the brush concealed a demanding craft.

The quality of the hair, the density of the knot, the proportions of the handle and the skill with which the materials were assembled all influenced its performance. A well-made brush could provide years of dependable service, while a poorly constructed one might quickly lose its shape or shed its bristles.

Alexander Simpson recognised the importance of these details.

From his modest beginnings in London, he established a workshop devoted to the making of traditional shaving brushes, placing particular emphasis on the quality of their construction.

By the 1920s, the business had become established in Clapham, south London, where Simpson's brushes began earning a reputation among discerning users and professional barbers.

In 1929, the company exhibited at the British Industries Fair, bringing its work before a wider audience.

A Craft Interrupted by War

The Second World War brought profound disruption to Britain's manufacturing industries.

In 1941, during the German bombing campaign against London, the Simpson factory was destroyed.

For many small specialist manufacturers, the loss of a workshop, its equipment and its established premises might have meant the end of the business.

Alexander Simpson chose instead to continue.

Production was relocated to Nimmer Mills in Chard, Somerset, where the company resumed its work away from the immediate destruction of the capital.

The move marked a significant chapter in Simpson's history.

Although its surroundings had changed, the essential craft remained the same. Brushes continued to be produced using the traditional skills of selecting, arranging and securing natural hair into carefully formed knots.

The Somerset workshop would become the company's home for many decades.

An Instrument Made to Endure

By the middle of the twentieth century, Simpson had established a reputation for brushes intended to provide exceptional service over many years.

In 1963, Gentlemen's Quarterly referred to the company's ivory-handled shaving brushes and their memorable suggestion that an owner might never need to replace one during his lifetime.

It was a statement of confidence in the longevity of a well-made object.

A traditional Simpson brush was not designed to be treated as an inexpensive accessory, but as an instrument worthy of consideration in its own right.

The company's collection developed into a range of distinctive handle patterns, many of which became closely associated with the Simpson name.

Among the most recognisable are the Chubby, Duke, Tulip, Colonel, Polo and Persian Jar.

Each offers a different relationship between handle shape, knot dimensions and the manner in which the brush is held and used.

The Chubby, with its compact handle and densely filled knot, became particularly celebrated among traditional wet-shaving enthusiasts.

The Duke offered a more restrained and versatile form, while the Tulip and Persian Jar demonstrated the variety of shapes that could be achieved through thoughtful handle design.

These patterns gave Simpson's brushes an identity that extended beyond their function. Their proportions became recognisable expressions of the brushmaker's craft.

The Preservation of a Traditional Trade

The latter decades of the twentieth century were difficult for many traditional shaving manufacturers.

Electric shavers, aerosol foams and disposable cartridge systems had transformed everyday grooming habits. The shaving brush, once an essential part of the morning routine, was increasingly regarded as an object belonging to an earlier age.

For Simpson, the challenge was not simply to maintain sales, but to preserve a form of manufacturing that depended upon specialised skills.

In 1990, the Simpson business, together with the associated Coates operation, passed into the ownership of David Carter and Francis Woodhouse.

As the years progressed, the ageing workforce and the difficulty of finding suitably trained craftspeople presented an increasingly serious concern.

The future of the company depended upon finding someone capable of continuing its established methods of manufacture.

A New Home on the Isle of Man

In May 2008, Simpson was acquired by Progress Shaving Brush (Vulfix) Limited, a specialist brush manufacturer based on the Isle of Man.

The acquisition was more than a transfer of ownership.

David Carter, who had been closely involved with Simpson's operations, was determined that the company should remain within the British Isles and that its traditional manufacturing methods should be preserved.

He turned to Philip Watterson, then associated with the management of Vulfix, whose company possessed the necessary experience and skilled workforce to continue the work.

The two men shared an appreciation for traditional brushmaking and understood the importance of maintaining the techniques upon which Simpson's reputation had been built.

An agreement was reached, and production moved from Somerset to the Isle of Man.

The Simpson name had found a new custodian.

At the company's workshop, known as The Brushworks, skilled workers continued to make brushes using the hand-tying techniques that had distinguished the firm since its foundation.

The move ensured that an important body of specialist knowledge would not disappear with the retirement of the craftsmen who had sustained it.

The Art of Making a Shaving Brush

A traditional Simpson shaving brush is the product of several carefully coordinated processes.

The making of the knot is particularly important.

Natural badger hair is selected and arranged according to its grade, length and characteristics. The fibres are gathered and shaped by hand, with the craftsperson controlling the density, profile and arrangement of the knot.

The completed knot is secured before being fitted into a carefully prepared handle.

This process requires a trained eye and a practiced hand. Small variations in the arrangement of the fibres can influence the brush's firmness, water retention, lathering behaviour and sensation against the skin.

The handles themselves are produced in a variety of established forms, commonly using durable resin materials that can be shaped, finished and polished to precise proportions.

The finished brush brings together the work of the handle maker and the knot maker in a single instrument.

Its purpose remains unchanged: to prepare shaving soap or cream, retain sufficient water to develop a proper lather and distribute that lather comfortably and effectively.

What distinguishes the instrument is the care devoted to achieving that purpose.

Tradition Without Stagnation

Although Simpson remains strongly associated with traditional badger-hair brushes, the company has also embraced contemporary materials.

Alongside its established grades of natural hair, the collection now includes brushes made with specially developed synthetic fibres.

These provide an alternative for those who prefer not to use animal hair, while offering different characteristics in water retention, softness, resilience and drying time.

The introduction of synthetic fibres has allowed the company to respond to changing preferences without abandoning its established approach to brush design and manufacture.

Its familiar handle patterns continue to be offered in different materials and knot configurations, allowing customers to choose an instrument suited to their particular shaving habits.

More than a century after Alexander Simpson began his work in London, the company continues to produce brushes in the British Isles, maintaining the specialist knowledge upon which its reputation was founded.

Why Simpson's Shaving Brushes Belongs in The House

At The Classic Blade Company, we have a particular respect for manufacturers whose products reveal the knowledge and skill required to make them.

Simpson's Shaving Brushes represents this principle with remarkable clarity.

Its history is not simply one of commercial longevity, but of a craft preserved through changing circumstances.

The destruction of its London factory, the relocation to Somerset, the decline of traditional wet shaving and the eventual transfer of production to the Isle of Man might each have brought an end to the enterprise.

Instead, the skills that defined its work were carried forward.

We admire the company's commitment to hand-tied knots, its enduring handle designs and the understanding that a shaving brush deserves the same consideration as the razor with which it is used.

Above all, we value the deliberate preservation of specialist craftsmanship.

A Simpson brush is a reminder that even the most familiar objects can embody generations of accumulated knowledge.

When properly made and carefully maintained, such an instrument becomes more than an accessory to a daily routine. It becomes something worth keeping.

A century of craftsmanship. A tradition held in skilled hands.

Selected for The House by The Classic Blade Company.