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The history of John Young in Keswick
John William Young is the 4th generation to run the shop in Main Street, Keswick where only one of the 4 generations was not called John! The current John Young comes from a long line of antique dealers and prior to this, his Great Great Grandfather (Isaac Hutchinson) made clocks and watches in the same shop that John occupies today.
Around 1890, on Isaac Hutchinson’s retirement, it was his daughter Emma (John’s Great Grandmother) that started selling new china and glasswear at the 12 Main Street Shop. John’s Great Grandfather (also called John) was a well respected Antique dealer. He married Emma having met her when she was on a visit to Keswick. She had been a Salvation Army Officer working in the London Slums but gave this up for health reasons, returning to Keswick and later marrying the original John Young.
Family History: John Young of Keswick
Born in Ireby in 1860, John Young was the son of a glass and china merchant. He grew up in Aspatria before moving to Keswick in 1886 as an antique dealer. It was in Keswick that he met and married Emma Hutchinson, daughter of Isaac Hutchinson a well respected watch and clock maker - she was the youngest of 13 children.
Emma Hutchinson was an independent and pioneering woman. She spent time as a Salvation Army Officer working in the London slums and was respected by General Booth who wrote her a letter which is still kept by the family. On a visit to her parents in Keswick she met and later married John Young. In (around) 1890 Emma opened a china shop and helped husband John (Antique dealer) run his business. Prior to this, Emma’s father Isaac Hutchinson ran his clock and watchmaking business from 12 Main Street – as his father (John) had done before that…. we think.
John Young was renowned and even the subject of a “Wilks” sketch still on display in the shop – a sketch that must be one of the earliest Wilks pictures around. On his death in 1936 he was described in newspapers as “A Dickensian character in appearance, in his droll dry humour… an entirely honest merchant who built up a large business and became an authority on antique furniture and was known throughout England as such”.
John and Emma had 3 children and their son William Hutchinson Young (1895) took over the shop. He married Elsie Chapplow from Watermillock who had their only child John, born in 1923. The family continued to expand the antique and new china business and moved to larger premises next door at number 16 Main Street before handing over to their son.
John (widely known as Jackie) married Mary Jenkinson and together they had four children including the youngest John who runs the shop today. Jackie ran the antique business, having also branched out into new furniture and home furnishings. After a massive fire in 1970 destroyed most of the building they took the opportunity to develop a large complete house furnishers which proved to be very successful.
The Home furnishing business at 16 Main Street was sold in 1981 to a family from Ormskirk who continued to run it under the Young’s of Keswick name for another 20 years. Today this building is an outdoor clothing shop.
Jackie had earlier bought back the original family shop at number 12, along with number 14 main Street from Howard Dalzel (Fishmonger) when he emigrated to Australia. Reopening 12-14 Main Street as an antique shop in 1981 this gave him and son John the chance to develop that side of the business once more. Jackie yearned to be back in antiques and a slightly quieter life. John learned the antique business from his father and together, they built up one of the largest antique furniture businesses in the North West of England
The antiques market has declined in recent years and John recognised this trend, taking the opportunity to develop a home furnishing business once more. The large warehouse at the back of 12/14 Main Street was turned into a home furnishings gallery selling high quality British made furniture, rugs and accessories.
The John Young Home Furnishings Gallery opened 3rd August 2003 and now also provides curtain fabrics and an interior design service as well as sofas, chairs and furniture.
