Gurd's Of Canada West, London, Ont.

Sly Old Fox

Sly Old Fox

CGN frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
15   0   0
Location
In lalaland, that is Ottawa.
I spent my grade school years in London, Ont. pre -WW2.

During those years. THE gunsmith of London was Gurd's on the south side of Dundas Street, about mid block, with a very large wooden replica of a gun, big black barrel and red stock. They were open into the war years when I had moved west of London to Bothwell.

I know that the second floor over the main floor level was the workshop and said to be full of the equipment required to build guns and rifles from the first 1/2 of the 19th century.

There was be collectors here on CGN who are much better informed than myself who can shed some light on Gurds and who even have guns made by them,

Let's here from you out there!
 
Some of the Gurd materials made it to the ROM.
When I lived in London, there was a locksmithing business in the building.

You've likely heard of Richard Glynn who was a contemporary, in Sarnia. As a very young boy, I remember going into a shop down on Front Street with my Dad. I remember an old gentleman behind the counter. This chap was eventually attacked by a couple of punks in a robbery attempt, and hit on the head with a hammer. He was in a prolonged coma and subsequently died. Anyway, I discovered much later that this was Richard Glynn's son, and all the gunmaking paraphenalia was still in the shop. This was acquired lock, stock and barrel by a collector. He donated it to Black Creek Pioneer Village, and was displayed in, and used to equip, the gunsmith's shop there. The powers that be decided that a gunsmithg shop was not approriate or politically correct, (no gunsmithing businesses in Upper Canada, you know) and closed it. Last time I spoke with the collector who had donated Glynn's material, he did not know what had happened to the 5,000 odd items. He was rather put out by BCPV.
 
Many thanks, tiriaq. I was beginning to think that I was the only old guy left who remembered Gurd's. :(

If Black Creak Village got rid of that stuff from Sarnia, some body should be drawn and quarted, slowly... :pirate:

Hopefully, we will have a few others with more info.
 
To add to my last post, Charlie Parkinson was a gunsmith of some note during the war years in London.

His shop was very modest, on Warncliffe Road. He did a lot of work barrelling, tubing to .220, old single shots rifles for the ground hog shooters of Ontario, Hornets, K-Hornets, stuff based on .25-20 rimmed cases, etc.
 
I remember the collection on the walls at Parkinson's. Some really fine Winchesters, and others.
Last ran into Jack Parkinson perhaps 20 years ago.
 
Wrong Way said:
Bought my first gun from Jack Parkinson....Charlie's son? That would have been 20 years ago, and I know he was starting to get fed up with the crap from the gov.
Click to expand...

Well, I too bought my first rifle at Parkinson's but from Charlie, about 1943, a mint used M12 BSA Baby Martini .22 LR with money earned at .25 and hour in the old Bothwell Manufacturing Company mattress factory.

The ground hog shooting in the warm summer evenings, after the first hay cut, along both sides of the muddy Thames between Wardsville and south Bothwell, was memorable. I also carried the Martini by back sling on my bike as I covered the country gravel roads within 6-8 miles of Bothwell.

Don't try that today!
 
Wrong Way said:
Bought my first gun from Jack Parkinson....Charlie's son? That would have been 20 years ago, and I know he was starting to get fed up with the crap from the gov.
Click to expand...

Jack closed-up his shop on Wharncliffe street about...er, 6 years ago? When he was getting ready to close things down, he rambled to me for an hour over what the heck he was going to do with all his crap in the basement, (all I wanted was some ammo Jack!) I think he had enough parts & bits & machinery to start a small army.

I used to see him once in a while at local gunshows after he got out of the business.

Edit: No, he must of closed-up his store closer to 9 or 10 years ago....wow, time flies.
 
ya, close to 10 years now- i was there the very last day they were open- not alot left- i got some small stuff, patches and some pins- Parkinsons was always cool
 
"...close to 10 years now..." Yep. Just after I moved here. He told me he was closing because the government had ruined his business and he couldn't make a living.
 
tiriaq said:
Some of the Gurd materials made it to the ROM.
When I lived in London, there was a locksmithing business in the building.

You've likely heard of Richard Glynn who was a contemporary, in Sarnia. As a very young boy, I remember going into a shop down on Front Street with my Dad. I remember an old gentleman behind the counter. This chap was eventually attacked by a couple of punks in a robbery attempt, and hit on the head with a hammer. He was in a prolonged coma and subsequently died. Anyway, I discovered much later that this was Richard Glynn's son, and all the gunmaking paraphenalia was still in the shop. This was acquired lock, stock and barrel by a collector. He donated it to Black Creek Pioneer Village, and was displayed in, and used to equip, the gunsmith's shop there. The powers that be decided that a gunsmithg shop was not approriate or politically correct, (no gunsmithing businesses in Upper Canada, you know) and closed it. Last time I spoke with the collector who had donated Glynn's material, he did not know what had happened to the 5,000 odd items. He was rather put out by BCPV.
Click to expand...

The oldest store on Front St I can recall was Lampel & Ziellers hardware.

A typical old fashioned store where the cash was sent to the office above the store on a cable like contraption & the change returned the same way.
This was in the early to mid fifties.
 
tiriaq said:
Some of the Gurd materials made it to the ROM.
When I lived in London, there was a locksmithing business in the building.

You've likely heard of Richard Glynn who was a contemporary, in Sarnia. As a very young boy, I remember going into a shop down on Front Street with my Dad. I remember an old gentleman behind the counter. This chap was eventually attacked by a couple of punks in a robbery attempt, and hit on the head with a hammer. He was in a prolonged coma and subsequently died. Anyway, I discovered much later that this was Richard Glynn's son, and all the gunmaking paraphenalia was still in the shop. This was acquired lock, stock and barrel by a collector. He donated it to Black Creek Pioneer Village, and was displayed in, and used to equip, the gunsmith's shop there. The powers that be decided that a gunsmithg shop was not approriate or politically correct, (no gunsmithing businesses in Upper Canada, you know) and closed it. Last time I spoke with the collector who had donated Glynn's material, he did not know what had happened to the 5,000 odd items. He was rather put out by BCPV.
Click to expand...
Hi, I'm actually a descendant of Richard Glynn's. I'd be interested in tracking down what happened to his material, hadn't heard anything about it going to Black Creek. Is there a way you can get me the name of the collector who purchased it?
 
It was Don Blythe who purchased all the material from the Sarnia shop; he told me about the closure of the Black Creek shop. Don passed away a while back.
I would suggest that you contact Black Creek directly.
 
tiriaq said:
It was Don Blythe who purchased all the material from the Sarnia shop; he told me about the closure of the Black Creek shop. Don passed away a while back.
I would suggest that you contact Black Creek directly.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. We've got a good historical connection with Black Creek through the Dalziel and Mackenzie branches of our family, odd we never heard about the Glynn collection going there. The collector's name will help with tracking that down. My father did manage to buy a Richard Glynn-made rifle a few years ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom