R&C e-catalogue

2 History Russell and Chapple is now one of Europe’s leading spe- cialist suppliers of painting sup- ports, linen, cotton, digital print canvas and industrial fabrics with multiple applications such as upholstery, aprons and bags. Having recently added stretcher bar manufacturing and picture framing to its ser- vices, the company continues to form an important part of the fabric of London’s creative life. In the mid 1990s the last Miss Chapple died in her late 90s. She appeared to have no im- mediate relatives and left the business to the employees. In 2000 the business was bought by the owner of L. Cornelissen & Son, mov- ing to Drury Lane and then in 2015 to much larger premises in Store Street, Bloomsbury.The company shares premises with another old business – Brodie and Middleton (established 1840), the supplier of materials to the theatre. Russell and Chapple started trading in the notoriously dangerous ‘Seven Dials’ area of Covent Garden in 1770.An early trade directory shows that they also sup- plied ‘Stirrups and Twine’.The company supplied fabric and tailor-made thea- tre curtains. Remarkably, the business traded from the same area in London for over 200 years under the ownership of the same family. Monmouth Street. Seven Dials in 18th Century where Russell and Chapple first opened in 1770 Russell and Chapple shop at Drury Lane, Covent Garden