- Nauticalia
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Nauticalia is a company that retails nautically themed products and memorabilia, as well as navigation products.
Nauticalia began in 1974, as a floating marine antiques shop in a converted rubbish barge on the River Thames at Shepperton. Lynn Lewis, an ex-BBC television reporter, and his wife Val, also a journalist, were the founders.
As the business developed, it became obvious that there were not enough antiques to satisfy demand, especially for the large items of nautical décor that so enthralled their customers. An advert in the local paper, for a 19th century diver's helmet, brought six buyers the next day - but there was only one for sale! To solve the problem, Lynn commissioned a batch of ten detailed replicas from a specialist metal works, and thus began Nauticalia's famous range of reproduction boating and shipping memorabilia. Ship's telegraphs, binnacles, bells, bosun's whistles, brass information signs and anchor lamps soon followed the same course, and necessitated a move to larger premises ashore. Not, however, before Lynn had managed to lose several tools over the side of the barge whilst making repairs, and invented one of the company's best-known products, the Sea Searcher recovery magnet, to get them back. Today the powerful magnet, which has been in continuous production ever since, is used by emergency services, boat owners and even sewage system workers worldwide. Over half a million have been sold!
More than 30 years on, the range has developed from using only the classic marine materials of teak, brass, hemp and cork to include everything from anchor-shaped doorknockers to zoom-focus binoculars. Lynn's principle was "If it traditionally comes from a ship, which generally means it's been built to last, let's reproduce it."
Now, with Lynn's son-in-law Chris Murdoch at the helm, Nauticalia continues to mix traditional nautical replicas with modern boating accessories in a huge range that celebrates Britain's maritime heritage - all under the umbrella of "Ships & Sea... Time & Tide... Wind & Weather... Stars & Skies".
In the UK, Nauticalia have 16 own-brand shops and literally hundreds of stockists - everywhere from maritime museums to seaside "bucket-and-spade" shops - who buy from the wholesaling part of the company.
Exports, spreading British maritime heritage to the world, account for about a quarter of all sales, and Nauticalia was a proud recipient of the Queen's Award for Exports in 1998.
Introducing Classicalia
In recent years they have discovered that many of their customers, and several of their staff, have interests beyond the nautical – including classic cars, travel, country sports, engineering, history, gardening etc – and this has been reflected in their growing range of products. They felt that the broader term Classicalia better describes their offering, so have started to use this in some of their literature.
History
Nauticalia was founded in 1974 in a converted rubbish barge on the River Thames at Shepperton as a floating antiques shop. There are now shops across the UK including at Covent Garden, Canterbury, Lymington Quay Side, Lymington High Street, Portsmouth, Greenwich, St. Katharine Docks, Chester, Liverpool, Bridgemere, Basingstoke, Shepperton, Cowes, Maidstone, Ramsgate and Southampton. There is also a shop in Williamstown, Victoria, Australia.
Export market
Exports account for a quarter of sales for Nauticalia. The company was a recipient of the Queen's Award for Export Achievement in 1998. This award is given to companies which have achieved: "substantial and sustained increase in export earnings to a level which is outstanding for the products or services concerned and for the size of the applicant unit's operations."
External links
Categories:- Companies established in 1974
- Retail companies of the United Kingdom
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