Hi, I have just purchased this reel thinking it was a Barry Grantham early BB model. I emailed Barry and he has stated that it is not one of his. Further investigation lead me to a thread on the TFF via Len Arbery regarding the reel that Richard Walker made for BB. On the page BB's reel it shows R.W's rod , net and a reel that was made by R.W. This is the reel I have just bought. I have also just found a picture of R.W. at his work bench showing the reel in the back ground. It is superbly engineered and spins forever despite having a telephone spool latch. I bought from a woman from Yorkshire who has no idea about fishing . She told me she got from a dealer she has been using for years who is a house clearance/boot sale type person.
I have added a picture of the reel alongside a J. W. Youngs 5 ½" Trudex to compare the size. The R.W. is just a tad bigger but it weighs in at 298g compared to the Trudex which weighs in at 420g.
I have just discovered that the box the reel came in is embossed "J.A.P. Villiers" who supplied engines to the lawn mower industry including Lloyds. These are the latest pictures including a silhouette of Wallace holding the rod and reel.
