A Short History of the English Umbrella

The umbrella is now part of the picture of an Englishman in London. It was not always so. Here is a short history of the English umbrella.

From sunshade to rain umbrella

Umbrellas and parasols were used for shade in many ancient civilisations long before they reached England. In Europe, umbrellas used against rain became more common in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Jonas Hanway and the London umbrella

In the 1750s the London merchant and traveller Jonas Hanway became known for carrying an umbrella through the city's streets, at a time when it was thought an odd thing for a man to do. He kept doing it, and over the following decades the umbrella became an everyday sight in London.

The steel frame

Early umbrellas were heavy, with frames of wood or whalebone. In the nineteenth century, frames with steel ribs made umbrellas lighter and stronger, and steel became the standard for umbrella frames.

The London umbrella makers

By the nineteenth century London was home to many umbrella makers, and the long, tightly furled umbrella became part of the city gentleman's dress. A few workshops still make umbrellas by hand in London today.

Bucklesbury today

Bucklesbury umbrellas are constructed by hand in London using traditional techniques, in small batches in a traditional London workshop, with umbrella-making heritage dating back to 1805. All our wood is English, from sustainable forests. See how our umbrellas are made.

Questions about the history of the umbrella

Who made the umbrella popular in England?

Jonas Hanway, a London merchant, is usually credited with making the umbrella acceptable for men in London from the 1750s.

When did umbrellas get steel frames?

In the mid-nineteenth century, when steel ribs replaced wood and whalebone.

What is a traditional English umbrella?

A long umbrella with a wooden crook handle, carried furled, such as the Bucklesbury Classic Umbrella, or a solid stick umbrella cut from a single length of wood, such as the London Umbrella.