Could there be a more overlooked aspect of fishing history than the origins and background of the simple fly box? Well, the Richard Wheatley Museum is the story of one man's quest to fill in the details of this popular British maker of fly and tackle boxes.
In what is one of the most comprehensive sites of its kind on the internet, the author tracks down the background and history of most of the boxes from this firm founded in 1860. Consider the subject of early boxes. The section is divided into Early Boxes 1 and 2, Cast Boxes 1 & 2, and Fly Wallets & Books 1 & 2. Within each is a spread sheet listing such things as the model number, size, cover material, fastener, interior material, and comments. There is also a rarity scale to help determine what the potential value might be.
This site has taken an enormous amount of research and is truly a labor of love. No one who doesn't truly love and respect fishing history would even think of attempting a site so comprehensive and informative. The Richard Wheatley Museum is utilitarian, although with the advent of more streamlined coding such as flash perhaps in the future it will be even more user friendly.
There are even some fascinating surprises, such as the history of the Hardy Bros. Security Clips. It is one of the most delightful, unique and informative fishing history web sites on the internet. You can visit the Richard Wheatley Museum by clicking here. It will be time well spent.
Please note that all of Fishing for History's book reviews are now listed in an archive to the right.
-- Dr. Todd
Thank you for your kind comments. I have worked hard on building this site for the past year and on the collection (which numbers almost a thousand items) for much longer.
ReplyDeleteThere is still a lot more to learn and list before we can write the book. Richard Wheatleys manufactured a sold a wide range of fishing tackle including the Griffith Minnow, which we are still trying to locate the sizes and colours of.
I am sure that this review will help more information to become known. many thanks Clive