Q&A: Alasdair Flint of yacht chandler Arthur Beale
A specialist sailing shop in London’s West End is a magnet for mariners and fashion fans alike, Umbrella’s Elliott Lewis-George meets Managing Director Alasdair Flint to talk ships, striped tops and Shackleton.
Hi Alasdair, Firstly, what’s a chandler?
A real ship chandler sells everything for long distance shipping like food and oil, whereas a yacht chandler like Arthur Beale stocks the fixtures, fittings and clothing you need as a yachtsman.
Arthur Beale has been on Shaftesbury Avenue for nearly 150 years. What’s its history?
The shop was originally called John Buckingham and was a manufacturer of ropes for the ships on the then bustling River Fleet. We think the company is at least 400 years old, maybe much more. It specialised in climbing clothing and rope and actually stocked the preferred climbing apparel for Ernest Shackleton and his crew.
So who was Arthur Beale?
The first Arthur Beale changed the company name in about 1908 and saw that the interest around yachting was growing. The company was then owned by a second Arthur Beale who died in 1954. However, the store really boomed in the ’60s when yachting took off.
The shop sits in a pretty pricey spot, how’s it managed to stay, er, afloat?
It was about to close two years ago when my colleague [Gerry Jeatt] and I took it over and brought it into the 21st century. The liquidators were just about to be called in, it was just very sad. However, we made the decision to rescue it before it became another coffee shop.
Is yachting popular in London?
A lot of Londoners own boats. City workers and bankers often spend the weekend with their yachts but there are also a lot of boats in London. For example, 2,000 yachts visit St Katherine’s dock each year, and there are numerous marinas dotted around the city.
What’s the typical Arthur Beale customer?
There’s quite a spread. Only about 50 per cent of the trade are into boats and the rest goes into things like shop displays, theatre work and even maritime-themed restaurants. We recently did a shop fit-out for Nigel Cabourn. The place used to appear a little formidable but now we get passing trade from people interested in the clothes.
Why do you think there’s such an interest in the sartorial side of things?
We don’t try to be fashionable. The clothes we sell are practical and durable. Sometimes we have no idea why things catch on. Sure, we sell thousands of Breton striped tops but then we also sell these little Miki hats, typically worn by crew on tall ships, but that also go to customers in Shoreditch. It’s the same with the Breton cap worn by Jeremy Corbyn.