About Us
Buck and Ryan was founded in 1824 by Mr R.Nelson a plane maker by trade who started selling tools from a shop at 122 Edgware Road, London. Manufacturing of other tools on site expanded and the business became popular amongst artisans & craftsmen.
In 1852 George Henry Buck bought the business, and premises at 312 & 332 Euston Road were acquired. In 1870 George Ryan joined the firm and some years later was made manager. In 1898 George Henry Buck died and George Ryan bought the business, where it remained under direct family control until 1983.
In 1919 after the First World War, the business expanded and additional premises at 310 Euston Road were acquired and the first recorded trading as ?Buck and Ryan? commenced. In 1926 George Ryan died and the business was acquired by his sons, George, Ernie, Dick, Harry & Will.
The business prospered under family control and having survived the Second World War and the bombings re-established itself as civilian life returned to normal. In 1962 compulsory purchase orders were served on both Edgware Road and Euston Road and the business moved to 101 Tottenham Court Road where it remained for over 40 years.
Buck and Ryan became known as the tool specialists of London and it became accepted that if you could not find a particular tool at Buck and Ryan you might as well give up looking.Our Customer Account List includes many of London's famous hotels, colleges, museums, jewellers and other institutions.
If you travel to any corner of the world, there is a good chance that you will find someone using a quality tool supplied by Buck and Ryan.
Over the years, we have supplied tools for many high-profile projects. (See below: Donald Campbell using Buck and Ryan tools on Bluebird K7 before his successful water-speed record attempt at Lake Coniston, November 1958, achieving a remarkable 248.62 m.p.h).
Buck and Ryan remained in Tottenham Court Road until 2005 when again another compulsory order required them to move, as the building was to be demolished for re-development.
Buck and Ryan now trade from Shop 4, which is at street level, Victoria House, Southampton Row, Holborn, WC1B 4DA. Victoria House is a magnificent, historic listed building and Buck and Ryan with it's own history and tradition is well suited in such a position.
Buck and Ryan is part of Ancatown Limited, a private company that owns independent retail shops within the tool and hardware sector. In 1990 Ancatown Limited bought Marshall and Parsons a tool business since 1958 in Leigh on Sea, Essex.
Marshall and Parsons was founded in 1958 by two carpenters, Ted Parsons and Alan Marshall who started selling tools from the back of a van around the building sites of Essex. In 1960 they bought a corner shop at 1111 London Road Leigh on Sea, Essex.
They became sole agents for "Elu" power tools, now known as "DeWalt". In 1963 Alan Marshall handed the running of the business to Ted Parsons who decided to expand by buying the two shops next dorr and introducing hand tools to the range of products sold.
In the late 1970s the frontage to the three shops was consolidated & a little later the workshop at the rear of the premises was built and offically opened by the M.P. for Southend on Sea, Mr Teddy Taylor. Marshall and Parsons then became the first warranty repair agents for Bosch Tools in the area.
Since then Marshall and Parsons have become agents for Makita, Bosch, Trend, Dremel & many others. They also become service agents for most power tool manufacturers.
Buck & Ryan Through The Years
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