Russel_Street... Where did you hear that J Simons named it a Harrington? The Grenfell brand is over 80 years old, and have had the Harrington for decades and decades, i am not too sure exactly when... I have been through their archival scrap books, dating to the early 70's was the earliest i remember seeing with the 'Harrington' name...Where is this documentation ????? It has been a grey area, final written clarification will help tremendously!

ALL Grenfell garments are made in one factory in East London. No one else has the license to produce Grenfell garments, there is only one Grenfell factory in the world. Recently they have supplied HM The Prince of Wales' Highgrove House... A one-off jacket called the Tetbury...

In the meantime... V Interested in this documentation...

And surely the Grenfell G9/Harrington is a later copy of the style of the original Baracuta?
It was Baracuta that JS dubbed The Harrington originally. Others then copied the style based on its success.

I owned a Grenfell ('Campbell' model) raincoat that I foolishly left on a train and lost, so I claimed on insurance.  John Simons could not provide a replacement from stock - and was less than helpful when I asked for details of his supplier.  After a lot of searching I tracked down the manufacturer in London's dockland and paid them a visit. The guys there were all Asian, very friendly and keen to help - showing me racks of Grenfell coats of various styles, all ready for shipping to the US market.  They claimed not to supply the UK market at that time (June 2005) and could not figure out how J. Simons was retailing their products (!)  I paid cash to a guy called Mohhamed for my replacement coat which I still own.  I remember the manufacturing site as not too pretty in a very run-down industrial zone. Finding it was tricky - no signs etc.   I cannot confirm whether the coats were actually worked up on site as the workshops were closed whilst employees were on a two week annual holiday but all the indications were that cutting and assembly were undertaken there. I have no idea from where the cloth was sourced but it is of high quality.

This is a thread I have revisited and enjoyed more than once.  I'd heard about the 'Bramble' and responded with a combination of interest and indifference - for reasons too personal and complex to go into on the forum.  The 'Grenfell' I own I bought on Ebay, a plain as a pikestaff green cotton coat that had a silly little Baracuta-type tag attached to it; easily removed with a craft knife.  I think I paid about £20 for it.  It's a workhorse coat for the colder months, an alternative to a waxed jacket.  The older I get the more I appreciate the workhorse.

Certainly some interesting legal argy-bargy available to view.  Is it really that special?

Saw a nice Aquascutum trench just the other day.  Missing its belt.  The seller didn't seem to think it mattered.  I'm hoping to pick up something in our local Oxfam for about £25.  To replace my £1 Burberrys' bargain.  What a coat that was to be sure.

Price? I forget now what I paid in 2005 - it was an insurance claim so I had little incentive to haggle - I have a vague recollection of around £180.  I guess it's a matter for negotiation. You would be avoiding Mr Mohammed's shipping costs and the retailer's margin.   Damn fine coat.

Azam Mohammed - Tel: 0207 537 7600 - Address: 100 Violet Rd. Bow E3 3QH - E-mail: azam212@yahoo.com  Let me know how it goes