T J Harrington
In the first instance you might be justified in thinking that this company has no place in a "Fly Fishing Museum" as they didn't actually make any fly fishing products. However, in the period after World War 2, when they became most active in tackle making, people were a lot less fussy about how their gear was used and a lot of "coarse fishing" tackle was pressed into service for other purposes, indeed there are still people around today who regard the Hardy Silex as the perfect fly reel.
T. J. Harrington's operated from the Magda Works, substantial premises on the corner of Mosely Road and Lyon Road in Walton on Thames. Essentially a light engineering company, they also produced a variety of toys and novelty items as well as a distinctive range of fishing reels, but their most famous product was neither, although frequently sold in the same sort of shops! No, Harrington's are best remembered for "The Gat". a push barrel air pistol that remained in production from the 1950's right through to the company's demise in the 1990's.
T. J. Harrington's operated from the Magda Works, substantial premises on the corner of Mosely Road and Lyon Road in Walton on Thames. Essentially a light engineering company, they also produced a variety of toys and novelty items as well as a distinctive range of fishing reels, but their most famous product was neither, although frequently sold in the same sort of shops! No, Harrington's are best remembered for "The Gat". a push barrel air pistol that remained in production from the 1950's right through to the company's demise in the 1990's.
Magda Works, Walton on Thames (Image courtesy of Trev's Airgun Scrapbook)
Magazine advert for "The Gat". The retail price remained the same for many years (Image courtesy of Trev's Airgun Scrapbook) You can read more about "The Gat" at "Trev's Airgun Scrapbook"
In some respects, many of Harrington's fishing products also qualify for the "strong toy" category, as they were clearly intended as "boys' reels", although they were also capable of producing quite sophisticated tackle.
Harrington Reels
Harrington Reels
The "Triple Check" seems to be the earliest reel offered by Harrington's and is possibly pre-World War 2. Like the Intrepid reels of K. P. Morritt (of which you can learn more here), Harrington's reels were largely die-cast, but they lack much of the finish and finesse of the Morritt reels, largely because they were probably aimed at a different part of the market, of which more later.
The reel itself is very simply made with a die-cast back including the reel foot and a spool made from die cast front and back plates held in place by a cage formed of struts swaged into the front and back castings. The "Triple Check" referred to in the name is an adjustable pawl with three slightly differently shaped corners. The bow-shaped check spring locates behind the face of the pawl allowing it to be rotated using the adjustment at the back. This is marked with three positions, 1,2 and 3 with an indicator moulded into the back of the reel. The check sprocket is actually part of the die-cast back plate of the spool and is of quite soft metal, giving a very "soggy" feel to the check on all three settings. It's abundantly clear that these reels were not really "high quality" but they must have allowed a lot of people to "get on the water" as they were made to be mass produced.
The reel is marked "MADE IN ENGLAND, TJH & SON, PAT. APPLIED FOR" This is almost identical to the trademark cartouche on earlier models of The Gat, which is why I suspect this may have been an early, possibly pre-war venture into fishing tackle manufacture by this firm. Incidentally I cannot find any evidence of a patent being granted, although the firm does hold a patent for a plastic moulded cap bomb...
The reel itself is very simply made with a die-cast back including the reel foot and a spool made from die cast front and back plates held in place by a cage formed of struts swaged into the front and back castings. The "Triple Check" referred to in the name is an adjustable pawl with three slightly differently shaped corners. The bow-shaped check spring locates behind the face of the pawl allowing it to be rotated using the adjustment at the back. This is marked with three positions, 1,2 and 3 with an indicator moulded into the back of the reel. The check sprocket is actually part of the die-cast back plate of the spool and is of quite soft metal, giving a very "soggy" feel to the check on all three settings. It's abundantly clear that these reels were not really "high quality" but they must have allowed a lot of people to "get on the water" as they were made to be mass produced.
The reel is marked "MADE IN ENGLAND, TJH & SON, PAT. APPLIED FOR" This is almost identical to the trademark cartouche on earlier models of The Gat, which is why I suspect this may have been an early, possibly pre-war venture into fishing tackle manufacture by this firm. Incidentally I cannot find any evidence of a patent being granted, although the firm does hold a patent for a plastic moulded cap bomb...
Our second example here is perhaps also one of the most easily recognisable British made reels of the era, mainly because of the distinctive fish motif on the back of the reel. The "Invicta" (Latin "Unbeaten") appeared with a number of different spools. The picture above shows two of the variations I know. The perforated, wire-cage spool is probably the earliest, and I have also seen a version that was clearly factory-fitted with only one spool handle, perhaps to appeal to the fledgling fly-fisher. The reel itself is very much a "boy's reel". In both cases, the back of the reel is die-cast, with a very simple bow-shaped check spring located on pins formed into the back casting. Notice how the reel foot is also incorporated into this casting.
This reel is in many respects a smaller version of the Triple Check and, indeed, the cage spool on the earlier reel is made in exactly the same way as that of the Triple Check, even down to the strengthening ribs on the inside back face of the spool. The later version has a much more substantial spool, with a solid drum and no perforations, but both reels suffer from having the check sprocket as part of the spool die-casting. Die casting alloys are relatively soft and the constrant wear on this sprocket has taken its toll, certainly on the older reel. The reel also has checkwork that is almost identical to that of the Triple Check.. Where the Invicta differs is that the check can be disengaged by holding the adjuster on the back.
This reel is in many respects a smaller version of the Triple Check and, indeed, the cage spool on the earlier reel is made in exactly the same way as that of the Triple Check, even down to the strengthening ribs on the inside back face of the spool. The later version has a much more substantial spool, with a solid drum and no perforations, but both reels suffer from having the check sprocket as part of the spool die-casting. Die casting alloys are relatively soft and the constrant wear on this sprocket has taken its toll, certainly on the older reel. The reel also has checkwork that is almost identical to that of the Triple Check.. Where the Invicta differs is that the check can be disengaged by holding the adjuster on the back.
"The Little Kraka" - if ever there was a name for a boys' reel... The curious thing about the Little Kraka is that although it is slightly larger than the Invicta at 3 1/8" compared to 2 3/4", it is significantly lighter in weight, very slightly more than 2 ounces. This can only be explained by the use of a much lighter alloy in the manufacture of the reel, possibly higher in aluminium than previously used. This would also explain why the Little Kraka never appears to have been sold painted, - aluminium is notoriously hard to paint. The other marked difference between the reels is the much more sophisticated checkwork on the "Little Kraka". This consists of a single, diamond shaped wire spring, again held in place by moulded posts in the reel back casting, the open ends of the spring holding the check pawl, in the manner of a caliper check. The downside of this approach is that the check is applied in both directions, also slowing retrieve. The check can be disabled by using an adjust on the back of the reel, sliding the pawl up and disengaging it from the check sprocket. The sprocket is another die-cast component, but unlike on the reels mentioned above, it is no longer an integral part of the spool casting but has been made separately. The front face and drum of the spool are also separate and have been fixed to the spool back plate using a tag and slot method. You can also clearly see how the spindle has been swaged into the reel back plate.
Image courtesy of Trev's Airgun Scrapbook
A counter-top sales display for "The Little Kraka". Clearly these reels were meant to be sold in quantity. Now, bear in mind here, that at the same time these reels were in the marketplace, Morritt's were offering their early reels in a polythene clamshell storage box that was then retailed in a cardboard outer, complete with instructions and guarantee. (Example here)
The next offering from Harrington's is where it starts to get interesting. "The Gemina" (Latin Twin). Take a look at the pictures of the Gemina and "The Little Kraka". The Gemina measures 3 1/2" and looks and feels very much like the Invicta in finish and design. It is only when you look at the checkwork that you can see this is in fact a scaled up "Little Kraka" However, it's not just been scaled up, but the design and construction has been taken to a whole new level. The reel shares the same diamond-shaped spring and checkwork as "The Little Kraka" but gone are the moulded in posts, to be replaced by a very business-like nickel silver screw. The castings from which the reel is made are also more substantial, with the two halves of the spool now being held together by more nickel silver screws and a robust chromed wire line guard has been added. Another innovation unique to Harrington reels is the addition of a cork arbor to the spool. This can be removed by dismantling the two halves of the spool, and is a relatively easy operation should there be a need for greater line capacity.
Judging by the numbers of "Geminas" that appear on the market, this was the most popular offering from the firm. It's size and quality make it an ideal choice for everything from trotting to light sea fishing, it's only drawback being that the check is again applied in both directions of wind and there is no bias to facilitate retrieve.
It's only when you consider all these reels as a group that you realise the Harrington product range is much more sophisticated than you might at first think. Seeing the three later reels together, one could almost regard them as three sizes of the same basic design, with increasingly sophisticated features as the size increases.
Judging by the numbers of "Geminas" that appear on the market, this was the most popular offering from the firm. It's size and quality make it an ideal choice for everything from trotting to light sea fishing, it's only drawback being that the check is again applied in both directions of wind and there is no bias to facilitate retrieve.
It's only when you consider all these reels as a group that you realise the Harrington product range is much more sophisticated than you might at first think. Seeing the three later reels together, one could almost regard them as three sizes of the same basic design, with increasingly sophisticated features as the size increases.
"The Harrington "family line-up - note the similarities
Harrington's produced two more centrepin pattern reels, the "Maxima", and the "Regina". "The Regina" (Latin Queen) was a multiplying version of the "Gemina", the spool handles being replaced by a geared crank on the back plate of the reel. Here's an example of the "Maxima", though this particular example lacks the optional cork arbor insert with which it was originally sold.
This was the largest offering from Harrington's, measuring a hefty 5 1/2". It is built with the same die-casting methods as the other reels of the Harrington family, and, despite its larger size, uses exactly the same check work as the Gemina. The last of the Harrington centrepin/fly style reels is the "Regina" (Latin "the Queen"). This seems to have enjoyed only a limited production as they appear only rarely, but of all the reels offered it seems the most well-built and sophisticated.
Broadly speaking, the "Regina" is a multiplying version of the "Gemina". The spool, proportions and basic castings are the same, but the addition of a crank wind multiplying drive, with a choice of gear ratios, make this a much more sophisticated offering. This is further emphasised by the red paint on the check option slider and the gear-ratio adjustment. Only a small thing, but it clearly sets this reel apart from the other products of the firm.
Although many of the Harrington range of reels lacked the finesse of some other contemporary products, there's one final product in their offering that I want to share with you which almost makes up for he "inelegance" of most of their products. Not a centrepin, and probably not the least bit relevant to a Fly fishing web site, nevertheless I feel compelled to include it here, not just for the sake of completeness, but simply because of its looks......
Although many of the Harrington range of reels lacked the finesse of some other contemporary products, there's one final product in their offering that I want to share with you which almost makes up for he "inelegance" of most of their products. Not a centrepin, and probably not the least bit relevant to a Fly fishing web site, nevertheless I feel compelled to include it here, not just for the sake of completeness, but simply because of its looks......
If Dan Dare had ever taken Digby spinning for salmon, this is the reel he would have used. There were two versions of "Le Omnia" (Latin "All" or "Everyone"), "Le Omnia" and "Le Omnia Super". "Le Omnia" was the first offering, with a half bail arm, revised to "Le Omnia Super" model, with a full bail arm some time during production. Both share the same basic, futuristic design, the same warm silver paint finish and the same odd, French definite article ("Le" rather than "The"). I have no idea why Harrington's would choose to style the name in this way, unless it was intended to appeal to the French market, or an attempt to reflect the growing success of French-made Mitchell fixed spool reels. The reel itself continues the Harrington theme of robust simplicity, with the bail arm being closed by a shaped fin on the right of the casing. It was only ever supplied as left-hand wind.
As can be seen from the "Triple Check" and some earlier models of "The Gat", Harrington's was originally called "TJH and Son" but in 1951 the company was incorporated as a private limited company, T J Harrington and Son Ltd. The firm's principal and major shareholder was James Harrington, a remarkable character who was featured in a national newspaper at the age of 83, still very active, very much part of the firm and having just had a facelift. (Meet the Peter Pan of Walton on Thames, Independent, March 1995)
Reading the article gives an idea of the man who was probably behind all the products explored here. A super-annuated schoolboy, who clearly studied Latin and retained a keen sense of fun (other Harrington products included a ferocious repeating catapult and a cap bomb for which the firm held patents, although this may never have been produced). He is credited elsewhere with designing "The Gat" itself. Sadly, little more than a year after the article was published, James Harrington passed away and, soon after, the company ceased trading. The Magda Works premises were sold and redeveloped as flats and a branch of a leading UK supermarket. The firm was gradually wound up and finally removed from the Register of Companies in 2000.
As can be seen from the "Triple Check" and some earlier models of "The Gat", Harrington's was originally called "TJH and Son" but in 1951 the company was incorporated as a private limited company, T J Harrington and Son Ltd. The firm's principal and major shareholder was James Harrington, a remarkable character who was featured in a national newspaper at the age of 83, still very active, very much part of the firm and having just had a facelift. (Meet the Peter Pan of Walton on Thames, Independent, March 1995)
Reading the article gives an idea of the man who was probably behind all the products explored here. A super-annuated schoolboy, who clearly studied Latin and retained a keen sense of fun (other Harrington products included a ferocious repeating catapult and a cap bomb for which the firm held patents, although this may never have been produced). He is credited elsewhere with designing "The Gat" itself. Sadly, little more than a year after the article was published, James Harrington passed away and, soon after, the company ceased trading. The Magda Works premises were sold and redeveloped as flats and a branch of a leading UK supermarket. The firm was gradually wound up and finally removed from the Register of Companies in 2000.