Mr John Cooper of ST LUKE London started out as a skilled watch maker, but then in
1825 aged 19 years
he decided to have a change of career and went into taxidermy.
In his early years he preserved and mounted many taxidermy birds, fish and mammals.
In
1850 his first son also named JOHN COOPER started to work in the family business.
This is when the stuffed fish started to become in very high demand.
In 1872 John
Cooper Jr was only 10 years old and working full time within the family business,
when John Cooper Senior became to ill to continue working and John Cooper Jr took
over the business. Sadly John Cooper Sr passed away in September 1872. Thus John
Cooper Jr became John Cooper Sr.
In 1880 John Cooper sons joined the very prolific
family business. The sons names were John Cooper Jr and Frederick Cooper. Sadly J
Cooper died in 1916 leaving the ever enlarging work load to his sons. Demand started
to decrease in 1933 and the sons thought about
closing the door on the family business,
then by chance they found a very gifted taxidermists of the name of W.B.GRIGGS who
took the company over and carried on the business using the same name, J.COOPER
AND SONS still trading from 28 Radnor street.
Then in 1939 W.B.GRIGGS moved the
taxidermy company to 78 BATH ROAD HOUSLOW MIDDX. this is where he taught his son
Len Griggs the taxiderny trade.
In 1953 W.B.Griggs had passed away and his son L.
Griggs carried on the business until 1960.
The pictures on this page are from the
early period THE BEGINNING and the other pictures are when it was coming to the END.
The
pike was the last 30 pounder the company stuffed.
I really hope you all enjoy looking
at the pictures and the trade labels as much as I have putting it together!!!
IF YOU HAVE A STUFFED FISH GET IN TOUCH!!!
WWW.JUSTSTUFFEDFISH.CO.UK
TURN
THAT OLD FISH INTO £££CASH£££
