The steam engine sitting by the side of the road at the entrance to a large merchant area in River Road marks the entrance to Blumsom Timber & Milling, a 126-year-old family-owned timber merchant.
Blumsom Timber & Milling started in Bethnal Green, East London back in 1896 then moved to Bangs Wharf Bow before relocating to Barking in the 1950s and has become a landmark for the local community ever since.
C Blumsom began life as a timber importer specialising in hardwoods, founded by chair-maker Charles Robert Blumsom. Five generations on, Blumsom is now owned by Robert Blumsom, and has grown into a very successful business with its own timber milling and machining operation.
Blumsom offers timber machining and non-standard mouldings as well as constructional softwoods, treated carcassing and sawn hardwoods.
Mark Ward, commercial director, said: “A lot of our customers were coming in buying sawn boards from us, and then, because we had the mill, we were able to plane timber for them and the mill became a much larger part of the business.
"We’ve also moved heavily into manufacturing door liners, handrails, coving and similar types of products. Some of our big customers manufacture doors and associated products for schools, hotels and luxury homes.”
Along with the refreshed branding - from Blumsom Timber Centre to Blumsom Timber & Milling - the vast two-acre site in Barking is also halfway through a major refurbishment, with a new showroom and better customer facilities being introduced as the company revitalises the timber merchant side of the business.
Blumsom is set to introduce a much wider product range, as well as hardwoods, mouldings and carcassing, It is growing its range to include associated products such as windows, flooring and decking that they know will be popular with their existing customers, as well as attracting new ones.
Operations director Gary Hoy explains: “The business has really changed over the past 10 years and has been very successful, but we can see the potential in the timber merchant side of the business. We want to encourage our customers to come in to visit us on site by offering new products and a much better on-site experience.”
Whilst on site, customers can also visit the mini museum in the new showroom which celebrates the century-long history behind the family firm and displays many of the incredible tools, ledgers and memories that Robert Blumsom has collected over the years.
Customers who visit Blumsom are now guided straight to a welcoming place where they can sit, grab a coffee and go through exactly what they need with Blumsom’s experienced staff, many of whom have been with the business for more than 30 years. Director Tim Gunning has been with the company for 47 years.
Also in the showroom is a video where customers can get a glimpse of the rest of the Blumsom site, revealing the company’s extensive stocking and storage facilities and advanced milling operation.
Gary adds: “We wanted to make it more welcoming when customers first arrive on site. Our customer base is extensive, but we would like to attract a more local service.”
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