Boodles through the ages

Words Edel Cassidy

Luxury jewellery designer and retailer Boodles has earned a stellar reputation for its creation of high-end jewellery. Its hallmarks are unparalleled craftsmanship, exquisite designs and fine detail, using diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and other precious gemstones. Red-carpet favourites, Boodles pieces have been worn by leading ladies such as Emma Thompson, Helen Mirren, Kylie Minogue and Kate Winslet. Yet beyond the glitz and glamour lies the remarkable story of a two-hundred-year-old family business. Driven by a profound passion for beautiful jewellery, it has weathered many adversities and fulfilled longstanding ambitions to endow the business with the exceptional international reputation it enjoys today.

The Boodles genesis in Liverpool

The story begins with Leicester-born watchmaker Henry Wainwright who first learned his trade from his uncle William. Henry then became the manager of the Liverpool branch of Kirk & Co, a prestigious jewellers and clockmakers. In 1898, he bought the Liverpool shop and when his sons Harold and Herbert joined the firm, he renamed it ‘H Wainwright & Sons’. Together, they built one of the most respected jewellers in the north-west of England.

Liverpool was thriving as one of the world’s leading port cities and trading hubs at the time. Its affluent citizens were keen to show off their newfound wealth by acquiring luxury goods, and so the family business found a receptive market for their high-quality jewellery and timepieces.

In 1910, Harold and Herbert left Wainwrights to acquire Boodle and Dunthorne, another established Liverpool firm of jewellers. But Harold was killed in World War I, and in 1921, Henry amalgamated with Herbert to trade under the name Boodle & Dunthorne. The business was relocated to the corner of Lord Street and North John Street, where Boodles House, the company’s head office, remains to this day.

Navigating turbulent times

The company was presented with its first major challenge during World War II. International trade routes and supply chains were disrupted, making it difficult to access the raw materials needed for jewellery production. It was a difficult time for high-end businesses; people were more focused on rations, jobs and staying alive than on buying luxury jewellery.

Due to its strategic significance as the country’s largest west-coast port, Liverpool and the surrounding areas were key targets for German bombers. In May 1941, the city was heavily bombed by the German Luftwaffe, leaving much of its centre in rubble and damaging a section of Boodles’ head office in Lord Street.

Then the summer of 1945, Henry and his son Herbert died within days of each other. Herbert’s son, Anthony Wainwright, returned from serving in Burma to find the business on its knees.

A triumph of resilience

Despite the economic challenges of post-war Britain and the personal loss of his father and grandfather, Anthony rose to the challenge. Under his entrepreneurial leadership, the business not only thrived but expanded. He opened the company’s second shop in Chester in 1965 and a third in Manchester in 1980. The first London branch was opened opposite Harrods in 1987. 

Jewellery designer Rebecca Hawkins joined Boodles in 1990 when it was first decided to create in-house designs. She is still Head of Design and has been responsible for creating landmark collections such as ‘Hug’, ‘Raindance’ and ‘Wonderland’. Chosen as an enduring icon of British design, the ‘Raindance’ ring is showcased in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent jewellery exhibition.

A new era for Boodles

Following the death of Anthony in 1992, his sons, Nicholas and Michael Wainwright, took control of the
company. They opened more shops in London and hired world-renowned architect Eva Jiricna to transform them into exciting contemporary retail spaces.

Today, Nicholas and Michael work alongside Nicholas’s son, Jody, Michael’s twin children, Honour and Geordie, and their cousin, James Amos, the sixth generation of the family to be at the helm.

Today, Boodles (renamed in 2004) has ten shops in the UK and Ireland. Collaborations and sponsorships – for example, the Boodles tennis tournament at Stoke Park, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a Royal Ballet-inspired collection, a ‘Secret Garden’ at Chelsea Flower Show, Boodles Boxing Ball, and Salon Privé – allow the company to bring its unique brand of sparkle and fun to people from all around the UK as well as a chance to exhibit its latest jewellery collections.

In 2022, an exhibition at the Lady Lever Gallery, Wirral, near Liverpool, celebrated the company’s 225-year history. Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story marked the gallery’s centenary and highlighted the role the city itself played in shaping Boodles’s growth from a small local jewellers to a prestigious family-run empire that produces some of the most stunning jewellery in the world.  

• ‘Boodles through the ages’ is published in Anthology Volume 21. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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