Same trade, same corner, third generation.
Fenwick & Sons opened two doors down on this stretch of Paddington in 1954. The chairs are the originals. Almost everything else has been replaced at least once.
Four barbers, forty-odd years on the floor between them.
The shop has been in the family since my grandfather took the lease on this stretch of Bridge Street. He cut hair here for thirty-one years, my father for twenty-six, and I have been at it since I was nineteen.
We train our own. Everyone here started sweeping, spent a year on towels and shampoo, and did not touch a paying head until they were ready. It is slow and it is why we do not have a bad chair.
Four things that have not changed
Not tradition for its own sake. These are just the bits that were already right.
Prices on the wall
One list, no tiers by barber, no consultation fee. What is on the board is what you pay.
Walk-ins always kept
Two chairs are held for walk-ins all day. A shop with no walk-ins stops being part of the street.
We say if it will not work
Hair does what it does. You will get told before the clippers come out, not after.
Nothing gets sold at the chair
We stock four products. If you ask, we will tell you which one. If you do not ask, you will not hear about them.
Who you will be sitting with
Book by name if you have a preference. All four are on the same price list.
Ade
Third-generation, runs the shop. Scissor work and anything that needs thinking about. Tuesday to Saturday.
Kieran
Fades, skin work and the sharpest lines in the building. Wednesday to Saturday, and most late nights.
Marcus
Does the shaves. Twenty-two years with a cut-throat and a very steady hand. Thursday to Saturday.
Sam
Newest chair, four years in, very good with children and first cuts. Tuesday to Friday.
Slow to change, on purpose
The only thing we have added this decade is a card machine.
Come in and see. That is what the window is for.
If all four chairs are full we will tell you how long, honestly, and you can decide.