The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Anybody visit this emporium, not sure of dates when it closed but I used to live quite local. I seem to remember that it "crossed" over the high street at one stage.

I've not been there, but Ted tells me he did indeed have two addresses in Knebworth....London Road and Station Road possibly??

edit: yes a hayloft in Station Road which was indeed the 'high street', he writes, and then in 1965 he took on a premises in 134 London Road. Later he moved to 123 London Road. In the 'hayloft' days Ted used to hitchhike to London to tout his wares around the tackle shops he'd known when he lived in Harrow as a lad. Indeed his early rods bore the transfers of those dealers...one appeared on eBay only last month.

I used Ted Oliver's shop in London Road from the early nineteen seventies on and of, until it closed.Mounted on the wall behind the counter,were rods of all types in hand built split cane and fibre glass plus a selection of reels.Superb quality stuff.Racks of outdoor wear,which has changed so much over the years.No Gortex in them days.When I ordered a cane rod,I was told 3 weeks delivery.Always received a phone call to say it was ready to be picked up before the 3 weeks was up .I'm glad in some ways that the shop is shut,because if I need rod rings,silk etc I can phone him up and go to his house to pick them up.You should see his garden absolutely stunning, knocks his old shop into cocked hat.

I had heard that he was hard to get on with,but he invited me into his house/garden without hesitation,I did get lost in his garden at first,some of the paths led to a pond or dead end if I remember correctly,when I did get to the door he let me in and showed me how HE whipped eyes on ,cant for the life of me remember how he done it,tried many times,think he done it without using the little loop,might be wrong.He was kind enough to give me one of his old catalogues as well.I thought he was a nice old boy.

Thinking about it ,I was quite lucky (although I didn't know it at the time) I used to use Tottenham tackle centre,Don's of Edmonton,Simpsons of Turnford and Johnson ross of Hoddesdon.

I now live in Knebworth and have been up to his house on a few occasions, the last time we got chatting and he informed me that the house opposite to me now was where a lot of his old ferrules were made in the chaps garage.
He also tried to show me how to tie intermediates but even after the 5 min walk home I still forgot how he did I it.

You're not alone in forgetting how he does his inters.....it's almost as though he does it on purpose somehow!

Thank god,i thought it was me,but seems like it was magic,nice old boy.

Would like to report that its just the same as the above now. Was there this week and got lost in the garden and in conversation.

Steve B

Happy days ,Glad to hear it,next time you go see if you can video him doing his magic whipping, So is he still selling rod making kits (glass)