Cakebread Robey & Co Ltd, Stoke Newington

Cakebread Robey & Co Ltd, of Stoke Newington, a firm that used to supply materials to the building trade, was founded in 1882 by George H. Cakebread and Arthur E. Robey. In recent times the firm, which is now trading under the name Neville Lumb (part of French multinational St Gobain since 2001), has been known essentially for its sanitary, plumbing and heating equipment. However as the sign below reminds us, for several decades, Cakebread Robey & Co was also relatively well-known for its glass products. Many of their etched, engraved or embossed glass and mirrors as well as their stained glass windows can still be found around the country in pubs, hotels and churches.

In London, some of Cakebread Robey & Co's best glass can still be admired at The Queens, 26 Tottenham Lane, and The Salisbury on Green Lanes at the junction with St Ann's Road. As for their stained glass windows, the largest concentrations can be seen at St. Andrew's, Whitehall Park, in Holloway, or at St. Andrew's, Chase Side, in Southgate.
A look at the index pages of the Building of England series by Nikolaus Pevsner and online reveals Cakebread Robey & Co glass and windows can also be found in other counties, including Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, and Suffolk.

The company had this wall painted twice. The range of products changed slightly in the process. The most recent layer reads:

Cakebread Robey & Co. Ltd. Builders Merchants & Ironmongers

Stained Glass Windows, Leaded Lights, Glass, Lead, Oils, Colours, Varnishes.

Stoves, Baths, Lavatories, Saintary Fittings, Locks & Fastenings

Also at Wood Green, Ilford, Tottenham, Harrow & Dalston

The products previously avertised, on the same part of the wall as above, were:

Lead Glass, Oil Colours & Varnishes

Stove Ranges, Baths, Closets & Lavatories

Location: Tyssen Road / Picture taken on: 01/04/2008