Brolly lore Sir: No, Charlie Chaplin has a walking stick.
Coincidentally, I have just received a manuscript called Umbrellas — their ups and downs, written by Brenda Stacey; a history of the umbrella since its invention by the Chinese (who else?) in the 11th century sc.
Brenda Stacey confidently asserts that there are only two statues in England which carry umbrellas, the one mentioned by John Whitworth, of Mr Palmer (Let- ters, 18 October), and one of Sir Henry Waterlow. Both were erected during their lifetimes. Mr Palmer's statue was originally sited in Broad Street, Reading, where it became a nuisance to traffic and was moved to Palmer's Park in 1928. Sir Henry Waterlow stands in Waterlow Park, High- gate.
Other interesting facts about umbrellas I have gleaned from this charming study are: that 'the Reverend Sydney Smith included the umbrella among 18 changes for the good which took place in England "since I first began to draw the breath of life" ' (other advances were braces, the invention of steam power, the railway from Taunton to Bath, and gas lamps); that 'a firm in Leicester made two umbrellas, each 14 feet high and 12 feet across for Akenzua II when he was chief of the Benin in Nigeria; that John Hampton in 1838 dropped 9,000 feet from a balloon over Cheltenham, landing safely 13 minutes later with the aid of an umbrella 15 feet across; and that the word 'brolly' was invented at Winchester where it is part of the school's language, Notions (in which 'Wily' means candle and 'yolly' means yellow).
Christopher Potter
Sphere Books, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8
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