Weighing it all up with Berry Bros. & Rudd

St James's Craft Collaboration

In our series of craft innovation centred around the ever-evolving St James’s in London, we begin with the intriguing tale of the set of scales that became a legend, as the wine merchant’s Creative Director Geordie Willis explains…

Having switched its main produce from dried coffee beans to liquids in standard measures, the need to weigh stock no longer became a requirement for Berry Bros. & Rudd. But it some became fashionable to be weighed at the famous Sign of the Coffee Mill at No.3 St James’s; with everyone from Lord Byron and Pitt the Younger to the Aga Khan sitting in the weighing scales and having their figures noted in the log book. Not only was this seen as a sign of health (since mysterious illnesses were often heralded by a loss in weight); they have also helped to solve a court case…