Unknown Rod identification

[LuckyLuca]

Bob, given the merger of Woodfields and Grice and Young in 1949. Would it be reasonable to think this rod is pre merger or do you think the brand would have lived on?

[Bob Brookes]

Hi,
They kept the name & traded under it for many years after the merger. Looking at the label I would say it dates to well after the merger. The style of the logo to me looks '60's so the Avon is undoubtedly the Hampshire one as opposed to the Warwickshire.
Bob

[LuckyLuca]

Thanks Bob, fascinating that a brand can be around for that long, but be so hard to research.

[Bob Brookes]

Many of their adverts state Wholesale Only, so perhaps they made mainly for the trade and put on customers' brand names.
Just a thought,
Bob

[AshbyCut]

It would be fascinating to see some of their catalogues, if any still exist ... both pre and post merger.

[LuckyLuca]

Another novice question, did Hamshire Avon rods always have built top and middle sections? Dating mine in the 60's suggests it would be post merger but only having a built top section suggests Warwickshire? Or have I completely lost the plot?

[Nobby]

It seems not, though that is what everybody desires these days, if you look at the illustration of an Avon rod in Bernard Venables' Mr.Crabtee goes Fishing, the rod has a whole cane middle section, or 'joint'.


I notice these days that any rod might find itself being described as one by an eBay seller, but originally it would seem that an Avon rod was capable of chucking a bait across the Hampshire Avon and had a bit more about it than a normal float rod.


Things got a bit more confusing when Richard Walker made his 'stepped down' Mark IV and called it an Avon, as at 10 feet it wasn't what most people would call an Avon at that time and by Walkers own description it was never meant as a float rod, but as a rod for chubbing.

So from that time on you have two styles of rod that were called an 'Avon'

Then along came John Wilson and re-defined the genre with his 11 foot 1.25lb. test curve Avon Quver with his extra top section for quivertipping...once more with chub in mind.


So entrenched is it in the mind of some modern anglers to join together the words Avon and Quiver that I have seen long internet forum discussions using the 'Avon' word to describe a quivertip rod!

[LuckyLuca]

An image I found whilst browsing tonight.
Any thoughts on wether this is the same Woodfield post merger and move to Christchurch?

[LuckyLuca]

Anyone?