Thomas Turner
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Back in December 2022 we published a blog ‘Robert Marrs, rod builder 1886 – 1964’. The information in this blog was provided to us by a TT customer Stuart Maxwell who had purchased a Robert Marrs rod from us to give to his son-in-law who was a member of the Marrs family. Just recently, we were contacted by Robert Hunter Marrs, who is the Grandchild of the Robert Marrs, the rod builder. He had come across our blog and wanted to provide us with more information about him, which was fantastic! And we of course snapped up this opportunity!
The article below has been put together by Robert Hunter Marrs (Rob H) and Jennifer Campbell (neé Marrs).
Robert was our grandfather and lived on Main Street Shieldhill, near Falkirk. He made and repaired fishing rods as a small hobby-business, presumably to eek out his pension. Our father, Samuel (Sam), mentioned in Stuart’s story did work in BP Chemicals (originally BHC) in Grangemouth and lived on Main Street. He initially helped Robert make and repair fishing rods. He continued to do so in a minor way after Robert died, eventually reduced to making rods for friends and often as gifts for people who had done him a favour.
Our mother Catherine (neé Hunter, 1921-2017), a keen dressmaker, helped both out by making the rod-bags. It is quite correct that they sold some new rods through Scrimgeour’s tackle shop where he also bought angling supplies. They also bought much of their rod-making materials from Arthur Allan’s shop at 3 West Nile St in Glasgow, specifically split-cane and fibre-glass blanks. Catherine was a regular Glasgow visitor and was often deputed to order and collect materials from Allan’s shop. All the early rods were signed in ink before varnishing, although later ones had a small label substituted. Feedback from customers suggested that they really appreciate the high-quality of these artisan rods.
Robert Marrs outside his shed, pipe in hand
Robert did most of his work in a small cuboid shed behind his house, where he had a pot stove for heating and melting his various glues. He also had a lathe, which we believe he bought second-hand from a hospital. He used this to turn the Cork handles into the appropriate shape for comfortable fishing. Initially, the lathe was run from an electric motor via fiction belts, which had three gear wheels and you moved the belt between wheels with a lever to change gear. Sam converted it to run on a single V-belt (fanbelt). The aromas in the shed were fantastic. When Robert died, the lathe was re-located to a shed behind Sam’s house where it was a great plaything (not switched on) for Rob H’s son (Robert Currie Marrs, here Rob C). When it was working it shook the shed a lot!
Both Robert and Sam were keen anglers and were members of the Falkirk Angling Club; Sam also fished with the BP Angling Club.
Sam Marrs prize-giving at the Falkirk Angling Club
When Rob C was about eight, he phoned Sam, his grandfather, and asked him “Grandad can you make me a fishing rod”. Sam gave him three rods, the first was apparently the last rod made by Robert, his great-grandfather, and it was a boy’s split-cane fly rod (3-piece, 8ft, agate rings top and bottom, whipped every ¾ inch). The second was a split cane rod, with an extra top-piece, agate rings throughout (3-piece, 9ft 6 inches, whipped every ¾ inch). He also gave him a fibreglass spinning rod (2-piece, 6ft 10 inches) that had been Rob H’s as a teenager. Sam had won this in a fishing competition and presented it to Rob H so that he could accompany him on fishing trips. However, Sam was unimpressed with the standard of the rod and effectively rebuilt it, with a remodelled handle, agate rings top and bottom and decorative whipping just like a split-cane rod (every inch).
Robert Marrs fishing at Carron Dam
Sam made one carbon-fibre rod. He was unimpressed with the final look of the finished product with this new-fangled material. The threads used to whip the rings on and to provide decoration just didn’t’ look up to his usual standard. So, he asked Jennifer where he might buy better quality silk threads. She suggested that on his next jaunt to London he should try and buy some in Laura Ashley’s. He went there, bought his silk threads, and came home, stripped the rod and re-whipped it to his satisfaction in these new silks. Attention to detail and a bit of a perfectionist!
I’m sorry to say that neither Rob H nor Rob C have done much recent fishing. However, Jennifer’s husband Charles Campbell is a keen angler. We still have the three rods all with the original rod bags. The two split-cane rods still have the “R Marrs Shieldhill Falkirk” label and they both retain their original aluminium stoppers in the ferrules.
Thank you to Rob and his family for providing us with more historic information about this fantastic rod builder.
If Graham, Alex or John happen to see this, please can you get in touch with us here at Thomas Turner, as Rob would love to be able to make contact with you, but unfortunately, we no longer have your details on our current system.
If you have any similar stories that you would like to share with us, then please get in touch!
The post Robert Marrs (1886-1964), Samuel (Sam) Marrs (1918-1999) rod builder/repairer appeared first on Thomas Turner Fishing Antiques.
Continue reading...
The article below has been put together by Robert Hunter Marrs (Rob H) and Jennifer Campbell (neé Marrs).
Robert was our grandfather and lived on Main Street Shieldhill, near Falkirk. He made and repaired fishing rods as a small hobby-business, presumably to eek out his pension. Our father, Samuel (Sam), mentioned in Stuart’s story did work in BP Chemicals (originally BHC) in Grangemouth and lived on Main Street. He initially helped Robert make and repair fishing rods. He continued to do so in a minor way after Robert died, eventually reduced to making rods for friends and often as gifts for people who had done him a favour.
Our mother Catherine (neé Hunter, 1921-2017), a keen dressmaker, helped both out by making the rod-bags. It is quite correct that they sold some new rods through Scrimgeour’s tackle shop where he also bought angling supplies. They also bought much of their rod-making materials from Arthur Allan’s shop at 3 West Nile St in Glasgow, specifically split-cane and fibre-glass blanks. Catherine was a regular Glasgow visitor and was often deputed to order and collect materials from Allan’s shop. All the early rods were signed in ink before varnishing, although later ones had a small label substituted. Feedback from customers suggested that they really appreciate the high-quality of these artisan rods.
Robert Marrs outside his shed, pipe in hand
Robert did most of his work in a small cuboid shed behind his house, where he had a pot stove for heating and melting his various glues. He also had a lathe, which we believe he bought second-hand from a hospital. He used this to turn the Cork handles into the appropriate shape for comfortable fishing. Initially, the lathe was run from an electric motor via fiction belts, which had three gear wheels and you moved the belt between wheels with a lever to change gear. Sam converted it to run on a single V-belt (fanbelt). The aromas in the shed were fantastic. When Robert died, the lathe was re-located to a shed behind Sam’s house where it was a great plaything (not switched on) for Rob H’s son (Robert Currie Marrs, here Rob C). When it was working it shook the shed a lot!
Both Robert and Sam were keen anglers and were members of the Falkirk Angling Club; Sam also fished with the BP Angling Club.
Sam Marrs prize-giving at the Falkirk Angling Club
When Rob C was about eight, he phoned Sam, his grandfather, and asked him “Grandad can you make me a fishing rod”. Sam gave him three rods, the first was apparently the last rod made by Robert, his great-grandfather, and it was a boy’s split-cane fly rod (3-piece, 8ft, agate rings top and bottom, whipped every ¾ inch). The second was a split cane rod, with an extra top-piece, agate rings throughout (3-piece, 9ft 6 inches, whipped every ¾ inch). He also gave him a fibreglass spinning rod (2-piece, 6ft 10 inches) that had been Rob H’s as a teenager. Sam had won this in a fishing competition and presented it to Rob H so that he could accompany him on fishing trips. However, Sam was unimpressed with the standard of the rod and effectively rebuilt it, with a remodelled handle, agate rings top and bottom and decorative whipping just like a split-cane rod (every inch).
Robert Marrs fishing at Carron Dam
Sam made one carbon-fibre rod. He was unimpressed with the final look of the finished product with this new-fangled material. The threads used to whip the rings on and to provide decoration just didn’t’ look up to his usual standard. So, he asked Jennifer where he might buy better quality silk threads. She suggested that on his next jaunt to London he should try and buy some in Laura Ashley’s. He went there, bought his silk threads, and came home, stripped the rod and re-whipped it to his satisfaction in these new silks. Attention to detail and a bit of a perfectionist!
I’m sorry to say that neither Rob H nor Rob C have done much recent fishing. However, Jennifer’s husband Charles Campbell is a keen angler. We still have the three rods all with the original rod bags. The two split-cane rods still have the “R Marrs Shieldhill Falkirk” label and they both retain their original aluminium stoppers in the ferrules.
Thank you to Rob and his family for providing us with more historic information about this fantastic rod builder.
If Graham, Alex or John happen to see this, please can you get in touch with us here at Thomas Turner, as Rob would love to be able to make contact with you, but unfortunately, we no longer have your details on our current system.
If you have any similar stories that you would like to share with us, then please get in touch!
The post Robert Marrs (1886-1964), Samuel (Sam) Marrs (1918-1999) rod builder/repairer appeared first on Thomas Turner Fishing Antiques.
Continue reading...