The Belmont Thumbstick

One of Sir Max Hastings' favourite pieces of kit happens to be his treasured thumbstick.

 I happen to possess one myself.

A pal and follower of the blog, Stephen Knox, most generously offered to make me a thumbstick several months ago, following my tweet about Sir Max's walking-stick.

I am sure that Stephen shan't mind me remarking that he is considerably leaner and fitter since the photograph below was taken in 2016.

Accordingly, I decided to mark the occasion with dinner at Michael Deane's fish restaurant in Howard Street, Belfast, on the 3rd December, 2016.

Coincidentally it also happened to be the ninth anniversary of the blog.

I arrived slightly early, so I was shown to the champagne bar (which happens to be adjacent to Deane's Eipic.

When Stephen arrived he presented me with my handsome new thumbstick, made mostly of chestnut wood and antler horn.

It has a distinctive, engraved, sterling silver collar band.

I can only imagine the amount of time that Stephen spent on such a handsome item; unsurpassed craftsmanship.

At Mount Stewart (Timothy Ferres, January, 2023)

More recently I went for a walk in Mount Stewart's magnificent woodland with my thumbstick.

First published in December, 2016.

Four-Way Tie

I inherited several ties from my father, one of which is cherished.

It's unashamedly old-fashioned, classic, tweedy and a la Bertie Wooster.

This ancient little sartorial number is called the Four-Way.

It has four sides, depending on how it's tied.

The length is 48 inches; the width, 2¾.

Four woollen ties for the value of one!

This cloth tie was made by J G Wilson, of Callander, Perthshire.

The Onoto 5600

De la Rue Onoto 5600

I wrote an article about the umbrella and shirt collections some years ago.

I am sure that, like many others through the fullness of time, I have accumulated or acquired some interesting items of apparel during my life, some inherited, others acquired.

My late father was stockier and slightly taller than me, so I couldn't wear any of his clothing, though I do still have a waistcoat and several polo-neck jumpers of his.

I had an old Aquascutum overcoat of his altered unsuccessfully.

I inherited a miscellany of accessories, mainly gold and military cuff-links and a lovely, old Onoto fountain pen, dating from the 1930s.

I treasure it, to the extent that I have recently sold my Montblanc collection; and the De la Rue Onoto fountain pen, dating from the 1930s, is currently being serviced by Peter Twydle.

I am simply not using writing instruments as often these days: A few vintage Parker ballpoint pens and the Onoto 5600 are sufficient.

Some of the clothing is ancient and utterly useless, unless one is a courtier or a recipient of invitations to state banquets.

I acquired full evening dress from an old friend of my father's (Jim McClenaghan): a heavy worsted tail-coat with ribbed silk lapels; old, starched, white dress-shirt and white tie; white pique waist-coat; heavy black, double-braided trousers.

The top hat was acquired many years ago at Parsons & Parsons in Belfast.

The morning-coat is black; the waistcoat, dove grey and double-breasted.

I found the waistcoat in a charity shop.

I discovered one of my most precious acquisitions in a charity shop: a DINNER-JACKET dated 1933, in another charity shop.

It is beautifully made, with functional button cuffs and a very wide, ribbed silk lapel.

I simply had the jacket altered and had a few cuff buttons sown on.

I shan't disclose what it cost me; suffice it to say that it was a bargain ~ like a "find" on the Antiques Roadshow!

If anyone is interested, my best advice to them, if they are in their twenties or thirties, is to buy the very best clothing and footwear now.

That's what I did, and it has endured.

Most of my most precious clothing was acquired when I was in my early twenties: the Church's shoes from Harrod's and Austin Reed's store in Belfast; the Burberry trench-coat; the Aquascutum overcoat; five or six shirts from Turnbull & Asser.

If you invest in half-decent stuff today and look after it, only wearing it occasionally, it will provide decades or, indeed, a lifetime, of satisfaction and service.

First published in February, 2010.

The Ancient DJ

Think I'm alluding to Jimmy Savile? Or the oldest swinger in town?

Try again.

Timothy Belmont alludes to the venerable old dinner jacket, a mere 83 years old.

It's priceless, to me at least. Everything has a price, I suppose.

I wouldn't accept a thousand pounds for my old dinner jacket; nor two thousand pounds.

The eager bidder would be required to pitch considerably higher. It's not for sale anyway.

It was made in August, 1933, consisting of heavy flannel or Barathea wool, with one button fastening at the front; ventless at the back.

It boasts a very wide, ribbed silk lapel and has four, functional buttons on each sleeve; one inside pocket and two outside pockets.

First published in June, 2008.

The Umbrella Collection

I have a Number One umbrella, for special occasions; a Number Two, which is used more often; and a country umbrella, which has a National Trust logo.

The Number One is manufactured by Swaine, Adeney and Brigg.

It is a Prince of Wales Malacca umbrella, with a sterling silver nose-cap and collar. The collar displays an engraving of the Prince of Wales's feathers and Warrant. 

This umbrella is of solid construction and feels sturdy.

Click on the image above to see intricate detail.

The Number Two is a lighter umbrella with a Whangee handle. This belonged to my father and I'm rather fond of it.

The country umbrella is considerably larger in size and canopy than the town umbrellas; heavier, too.

A fourth umbrella is broken and, consequently, no longer used. 

It was a gift from my late father, bought in Harrod's.

This umbrella has an ebonized handle with a gold-plated nose-cap.

I’ve produced a short video below.

First published in 2010.

Lock's Travel Trilby

Some time ago I watched an old episode of Poirot, entitled Murder In Mesopotamia.

That celebrated sleuth's faithful companion, Captain Arthur Hastings OBE, wore a rather fine, sand-coloured, type of fedora or trilby hat.

Now I've a confession to make: I possess a considerable of hats, including three fedoras and trilbys.

Four of my hats are made by James Lock & Company, of St James's, London.

Are any readers remotely interested in my hat collection?

After viewing the Poirot episode, I had a rummage though the drawer and unearthed one of them, a medium brim, lightweight, soft, foldable, travel felt trilby.

It is called The Voyager.

They thoughtfully supplied the hat in a white travel tube, alas impractical for my compact hand luggage:

Turn the brim down, push out the crown shape to form a dome; softly, fold your hat convex and concave; roll your hat up; put it in the travel tube, brim uppermost; on arrival at your destination always unfold your hat, then reshape the crown and brim.

 First published in March, 2013.

The Slippers

A new pair of slippers regularly springs to mind at this time of the year.

Admittedly I've achieved a fairly good mileage from the present ones, judging by the tread.

My Number Threes are invariably from Marks & Spencer's.

It might amuse you to know that I have a Number One pair, by Church's, which are aired on Red Letter Days or special occasions.

They are made of velvet, with a kind of monogram atop, leather soled, red in colour.

The Number Twos, by Morland's, also have hard leather soles, a sheepskin fleece lining, and beige suede upper.

The Green Check

The subtle green check lounge suit and light blue shirt, hanging in readiness for the annual National Trust Mount Stewart Christmas bash.

The Consul Shoe

The Consul shoe, by Church, in black crocodile. It costs £2,900.

I think I shall stick to the traditional British calf leather. Mine are thirty years old.

Re-Delivery

I received the second card within a week from the Royal Mail, viz the postman, advising that the item in question for delivery was too large.

As before, one merely goes online and fills in a form for it to be re-delivered.

Presumably this service causes a degree of additional work for them. It's baffling and frustrating at the customers' end.

The reasonable course of action in such instances must surely be to leave larger items with one's neighbour.

One of my neighbours is always at home.

I PURCHASED a new pair of black Oxford shoes today (top). They will serve as my Number Two pair.

I already possess a pair of old Church's Consul Oxfords (above), which were acquired thirty years ago.

I think I purchased them in Harrod's.

NT Ties

I have amassed four National Trust ties, which all date from the 1980s.

I possess a large, matching silk handkerchief for the tie on the right (though never wear them together).

The silver-grey tie belonged to my father.

Ancient Coat

Prince Charles has the right idea, and I fully understand his reasons for continuing to use a clapped-out, torn jacket for purposes such as hedging.

I missed the latest episode of Countryfile on the BBC, though I gather that HRH showed off an old coat, patched up with so many different pieces of leather he confided he could “hardly move”.

The jacket, donned while he built hedges on his estate, is now made up of an array of green and brown shades, with rough holes and hanging threads.

“Well of course the trouble is it gets torn up. I got somebody to patch it up with leather and now I can hardly move”. 

I POSSESS a forty year-old Barbour jacket. It has been gathering a modicum of dust in the garage for a few winters, so methinks I shall put it to good use.

I occasionally burn gorse and old bramble in the woods and, as anybody who has performed this task will know, fleece jackets are particularly vulnerable to cinders and sparks.

The ancient Barbour should do the trick famously.

That's my jacket at the top, by the way.

About Town

 

It has been such a fine autumn day today, that I cycled into town. I parked, as usual, at Fountain Street and strode into the much-revered Linenhall Library.

My subjects for research today included the De la Poers of Gurteen, and the Newtons of Dunleckney Manor.

Afterwards I ambled over to Sawers in order to purchase some of their battered scampi at the fish counter.

En route to Marks & Spencer's, I entered a menswear shop which had herringbone tweed jackets for sale; not dissimilar to the one I was wearing myself.

Mine isn't particularly old ~ perhaps 35-40 years old. My jacket (top) is made of heavy Harris tweed, great for colder weather. It has subtle colours in the pattern.

A young female assistant was beside me, tidying items. I couldn't resist beaming at her and quipping: I knew mine would come into fashion again, if I waited long enough!". She laughed.

Dressed for Dinner

Never let it be said that Timothy Belmont does not like to dress for the occasion. The old school's Class of '78 Re-Union bash takes place in County Down this evening and the revered 1933 dinner jacket, matching trousers, white piqué dress shirt, bow-tie, cummerbund and black Oxford calf leather shoes are all ready to see the light of day once again. The bow-tie is ancient, too. Only the shirt is relatively new.


All moths of discerning taste have flown off till its reappearance. Now that I think of it, this must be somewhat akin to the Chilean Thirty-three.


Note the detail in the old jacket, no longer standard issue nowadays lest one forks out a ruddy fortune. The non-cloth buttons, very wide, ribbed silk lapel; functional cuffs. In 1933 Bertie Wooster and Hercule Poirot must have worn something along these lines.

The Oxford Shoes

It is almost thirty years since I bought my first pair of Oxford calf leather shoes by Church and Company. They are called Consul. I acquired them at Harrod's in the early eighties (part of the House of Fraser in those days). I considered them costly enough then, at about £60 as far as I remember.

They are among the most comfortable items in my wardrobe.

I shall be wearing them at a dinner in County Down tomorrow evening, Saturday, October 16th, 2010.

2nd Fitting

David was with me today for a second fitting of my new suit. I collected him, as usual, from the central bus station in Belfast.

Frankly, I have had a relatively busy schedule today: arrangements and preparations for the Dowager to stay at a residential home while I'm away; and other domestic necessities to undertake. So David phoned me yesterday evening to inform that he'd be coming up to Belfast at lunchtime today. It was slightly inconvenient, though I "fitted him in".

The material of the new suit is akin to a charcoal grey and quite fine-textured. He had the three pieces with him: the trousers, waistcoat and jacket; all in bits and pieces, held together by thread and pins.

I suppose he must have spent about an hour or more with chalk, making fine adjustments here and there. The first thing I noticed about the trousers was that they had belt-loops, and I had indicated a month ago my preference for waist-expanders instead. I don't know whether he had forgotten but, when I asked about this, he told me politely that it could not be changed because he had not sufficient cloth remaining for belt-expanders.

I imagine it is not a huge deal, because the waistcoat covers the waist of the trousers anyway. Still. Another thing I noticed was that the "fly" had a zip, which I prefer; though I do have about three or four pairs of trousers with button flies, and perhaps I'd have liked the option! I have two pairs of Cordings corduroys with button flies; and an old pair of evening dress trousers likewise; and four pairs of vintage Levi denims and cords with button flies, too.

It's far to early to have a clear idea as to what the finished article will look like. The final fitting and delivery shall be during May.

The 1st Fitting

I collected David Young from the central bus station in Belfast at about three-thirty yesterday afternoon. Mr Young is a bespoke tailor, and had travelled quite a distance to meet me.

We motored back to my house where, without further ado, he produced two folders of cloth swatches. I'd intimated that I'd most likely opt for a dark grey shade. David Young is a very agreeable, soft-spoken person and there was no pressure to make a hasty decision at all. I usually know what I want, at any rate.

Subsequently, over some coffee and biscuits, and with a little guidance from him, I chose a dark grey worsted cloth, 12 ounces in weight, by a company called Holland and Sherry. I already have a woollen flannel mid-grey suit, so I wanted a slightly darker shade.

My preference is for a three-piece suit which does add considerably to the overall cost. Seemingly, waistcoats are not cheap to create. Mr Young took the requisite measurements - I still had the measurements from my 1983 suit - so the process was relatively straightforward. We discussed pockets, how the trousers would be held up, lining etc.

Mr Young finally requested a £200 deposit and advised me that he would return for a second fitting in about six weeks' time. Incidentally, he told me that another client, from the University, had phoned him to place an order for a dinner jacket.

So, at about five forty-five, we drove back to the bus station at Glengall Street where his bus was due to depart at six o'clock.

The Shirt Collection

I probably possess too many shirts. They have been accumulated throughout my life and at least two of my shirts date from 1982.

Between 1982 and 1983, I purchased my first three shirts in Turnbull & Asser's shop at Jermyn Street, St James's, London. The Bengal Stripe, white collar blue shirt (top left); and the yellow, blue and black striped silk shirt (top right) were both my first purchases. The Bengal one has a button cuff; while the silk shirt has a double cuff. Click on the image to enlarge it.

My next purchase, about one year later, was the blue and white striped, double cuff shirt (above, bottom middle); then, in 2008, in bought a button cuff blue, purple and red patterned shirt (above, bottom left). This year, 2010, I bought a classic button cuff, light blue shirt.

I like Turnbull & Asser. Their old-fashioned, traditional shop reflects my values. I also have a few ties and a handkerchief of theirs.

I own one shirt from Aquascutum which I am particularly fond of, bearing in mind that it is almost thirty years old! I only wear it occasionally; in fact I wore it about a fortnight ago, at Lady Mairi Bury's memorial service.

I have five country shirts from Cordings in Piccadilly; and some regular Tyrwhitt and Marks and Spencer shirts, too.

The firm intention is to keep the Aquascutum and Turnbull shirts for another thirty years.