A 19th century alphabet box with an inlaid bone tile with ABC inset on to the chamfered lid.
There are approx 110 single sided bone alphabet tiles inside. On the base of the box is an old trade label William Whiteley , Westbourne Grove London.
William Whiteley was born on 29th September 1831 in the small village of Agbrigg between Pontefract and Wakefield in Yorkshire, the youngest of four sons. His father was a successful corn merchant. William left the local school at fourteen and spent two years working on his uncle's farm. In 1848 he started a seven years apprenticeship as a draper's assistant with Harnew and Glover in Wakefield but it was his first visit to London in 1851 to see the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace which changed his life. William was inspired by the vast displays to have a shop where everything could be available under one roof. Four years later he arrived in London to pursue his dream.
William determined to learn as much as he could about the retail and wholesale drapery business. He began by working for the traditional store of Willey & Co. in Ludgate, then moved to the important wholesale business, the Fore Street Warehouse, and finally he became familiar with haberdashery by working for Leat & Sons. Throughout this period he saved hard and managed to accumulate £700 - enough to start his own business. William Whiteley's first shop opened in Westbourne Grove, Bayswater in 1863; it was a fancy goods shop, specialising in ribbons. He employed two female assistants and an errand boy. The venture was a great success as by the end of the first year he employed fifteen assistants, a cashier and two errand boys. Customers were never pressured to buy goods they did not want, prices were reasonable and clearly marked, windows were dressed attractively and he soon added clothing, millinery and other goods until by 1867 the shop had seventeen departments.
William Whiteley died in 1907 he left an estate valued at £1,145,146 19s 10d (spending worth in 2011 of £65.7m). He had left Wakefield for London in 1855 with £10 in his pocket; he had sought and found his fortune.
