Henry Poole & Co

Henry Poole & Co

Type	Private
Industry	Retailer
Founded	London, England (1806)
Headquarters	London, England
Key people	James Poole, Founder Angus Cundey, Owner Simon Cundey, Director
Products	Clothing, Fashion
Website	www.henrypoole.com

Henry Poole & Co on Savile Row, London (2014)

Customers examine the wares of Henry Poole and Co. in their 18th century showroom on Savile Row (1944)

A view of the workroom at Henry Poole and Co., showing tailors at work on various types of jacket, including a naval officer's jacket, second from right on the rear row. The men are all sitting on the workbenches. (1944)

The model David Gandy wearing a bespoke suit by Henry Poole & Co (2014)

Henry Poole & Co is a bespoke tailor located at №15 Savile Row in London. The company made the first modern-style dinner jacket based on specifications that the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) gave the company in the 1880s. The company advertises its long relationship with the British Royal Family.

History

The business opened first in Brunswick Square, in 1806, originally specializing in military tailoring, with particular merit at the time of the Battle of Waterloo. Their business moved to Savile Row in 1846, following the death of founder James Poole. Henry Poole ran the business until his death in 1876, and was succeeded by cousin Samuel Cundey, whose legacy continued, for five generations, to the present-day owners Angus Cundey and son Simon.

The company still holds many royal warrants of appointment, and services the Lord Chamberlain's office with court dress, with their livery department even creating uniforms for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The company are also credited with the creation of the dinner suit. In 2006, the company celebrated their bicentennial with a refurbishment of their premises and 2007 saw a re-issue of a suiting material made famous by Winston Churchill, a Henry Poole customer who ordered his first suit 100 years ago.

The Dinner Suit

In 1860, Henry Poole made a short evening or smoking jacket for the Prince of Wales to wear at informal dinner parties at Sandringham. In 1886, a Mr. James Potter of Tuxedo Park, New York, visited London and subsequently was invited by the Prince to spend a weekend at Sandringham House. He was also advised that he could have a smoking jacket made by the Prince’s tailors, Henry Poole & Co.

When the Potters returned to New York, Mr. Potter proudly wore his new smoking jacket at the Tuxedo Club and fellow members soon started having copies made for themselves which they adopted as their informal uniform for club "stag" dinners. As a result, the dinner jacket became known as a tuxedo or tux in America.

Warrants

Henry Poole has had customers who belonged to royalty and the highest aristocracy. Amongst the many customers who issued official warrants or were regulars were:

• Emperor Napoleon III 1858
• The Prince of Wales 1863
• The Duke of Edinburgh 1868
• The Crown Prince of Prussia 1868
• Queen Victoria 1869
• The King of the Belgians 1869
• The Crown Prince of Denmark 1869
• The Prince of Teck 1870
• Prince Christian of Schleswig–Holstein 1870
• The Khedive of Egypt 1870
• Prince Oscar of Sweden & Norway 1871
• King Amadeus I of Spain 1871
• Prince Louis of Hesse 1871
• Crown Prince of Russia 1874
• The Emperor Pedro II of Brazil 1874
• Tsar Alexander II of Russia 1875
• The King of Hellenes 1877
• The Crown Prince of Austria 1878
• King Umberto I of Italy 1879
• Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany
• Tsar Alexander III of Russia 1881
• King David Kalakaua of Hawai'i 1882
• The Duke of Genoa 1891
• Friedrich, Grossherzog of Baden 1891
• The Duke of Aosta 1892
• Prince Emanuel of Savoie 1892
• The Shah of Persia
• The King of Denmark 1893
• King Edward VII 1902
• Prince Albrecht of Prussia 1903
• The Maharajah Gaekwar of Baroda 1905
• The Shah of Persia 1906
• The Khedive of Egypt 1910
• Queen Alexandra 1911
• The Prince of Wales 1922
• The Imperial Household of Japan 1923
• King George V 1928
• The King of the Bulgarians 1936
• King George VI 1940
• Emperor Haile Selassie 1959
• Queen Elizabeth II 1976

See also

• Savile Row tailoring

Further reading

• Stephen Howarth: Henry Poole: Founders of Savile Row - The Making of a Legend. Godalming: Bene Factum, 2003. ISBN 978-1-903071-06-9

External links

• Company website
• Historical background information