the BISHNYM STORY

Bishnym Products is a small, third generation, family business that can trace its origins over a hundred years ago.  Our Grandfather, Albert Ernest Brambley, first started working in the leather industry when he left school in 1898; he began as apprentice shoemaker to William Tamplin of Caterham, Surrey.  In 1915 he started out in business on his own by taking over the lease of a shop at 68 Upper Tooting Road S.W. London, which had been run as a saddlery business, for many years, by Saddler and Harness Maker John Cully; in 1922 he purchased the freehold of the property (see photo right).

Beginning primarily as a Shoe and Boot Repairer, Leather and Grindery Merchant he soon added to this the retailing of a vast range of products, which included: clocks, watches, dartboards & darts, cut throat razors, safety razors, corn plasters, various kinds of patent medicines, celluloid collars, brush and comb sets, military ‘swagger’ sticks and horse whips.  Along with these unusual items were all kinds of leather goods, such as: Hand bags, suitcases, music bags, purses, wallets and so forth.  With his skills learned in the shoe manufacturing trade, he began also to manufacture bespoke leather goods. An advertising ‘give away’ dating from 1930 (above).

In 1962 grandfather died and our father & mother, Alec & Alice Brambley, took over the running of the business and set to modernising the shop, which had remained virtually unchanged since before 1915; the old single front was taken out and a new double front inserted (see Photo below).

While still repairing boots, shoes, bags etc. father would continue to make bespoke items, such as brief cases, bags for doctors, rifle slings, holdalls, ladies handbags etc.  Our mother, Alice Brambley, a trained Taylor, used her skills to make leather coats and jackets; as well as her own line in leather, hand made, ladies hand bags, mainly for sale in the shop.

In the late 1960’s we started manufacturing small leather goods to augment the retail and bespoke sales, these included such items as key cases, wallets, purses of various types, comb cases, passport cases, leather key fobs etc.  Soon larger products were added to the range such as shopping bags, casual bags, sports bags and holdalls, including fashion belts of various kinds, which were sold in many shops on the Kings Road and Carnaby Street.

In early 1969 we became associated with ‘Bexley Leather Goods Co. Ltd.’ who for many years had been manufacturing high quality leather and canvas holdalls for the well-known company ‘Barrow Hepburn & Gale’ and later assembling a range of ladies casual bags for ‘W. Wood & Son Ltd.’, the original manufacturer of the famous ‘Revelation’ brand of luggage.  During this period we were able to learn more specialised techniques in bag manufacturing to augment our existing skills.  Also at this time we were constructing leather ‘prop’ items for the feature film ‘The Last Valley’ (1970) with Michael Cain and Omar Sharif.  This consisted of various reproduction Seventeenth Century sword belts, wheel-lock gun holsters and other period military equipment.

By 1970, we were finding that the manufacturing was beginning to become the more important side of the business and the space available at the old premises totally inadequate, so the hunt began for larger, more suitable premises.  After much searching we finally found our present location in Devon, to which we moved at the end of 1970, where we have operated from ever since.  Our current premises were formerly the maintenance centre for the Historic Manor of Bishops Nympton.  This comprises of a collection of ancient buildings and workshops, including two forges that we have adapted for our purposes, the oldest of which seems to have medieval origins.  Soon after relocating we changed the name of the family business to BISHNYM Products, after the local name for the village.

In 1972 we began to specialise in covers and bags for the shooting industry, particularly Gun and Rifle slips, covers and cases.  More recently there has been added to our products, the manufacture of an extensive range of leather and textile based equipment for the Police and security services.

In 1991 our father, Alec Brambley, died and the business transferred to us, his sons, Peter and Stephen Brambley, who had been working with him, in the shoe and leather goods industries for over forty years.  By 2002 some of the production was moved to the Far East to keep up with demand and of course the competition.  In the process of developing the overseas manufacturing, it was paramount that the highest quality control systems were implemented along with the utilisation of the finest quality materials available.

More recently we have returned to concentrating on our own line of high quality leather goods, manufactured here in Devon, primarily for the field sports fraternity, but also for the more general leather ware market.  This range is highly traditional in the way of manufacture, with a great deal of hand crafted work wherever possible.  We, of course, continue to carry on the traditional family work of manufacturing bespoke leather goods of all kinds, begun by our Grandfather almost a hundred years ago.

Yours Sincerely,
Peter & Stephen Brambley