Massil, H. & M. (1905-1985)
Massil, H. & M.
London; wood turners (fl.1905-85)
Hyman Massil was employed as a woodturner by Franklin & Goldberg in Hackney Road, Shoreditch, shortly after his arrival in London from Azarich, Byelorussia, in 1905. Massil went onto become foreman before leaving about 1912 to establish his own small woodturning workshop in nearby Coronet Street. His brother, Morris, joined him in the business sometime during the First World War and according to the family, about 1916-17, the fascia of the workshop was captioned ‘H & M Massil, Woodturners and Twisters’. Massil’s customers were the local East End small cabinet makers and upholsterers. In the late 1920s William I. Massil joined the business and quickly took over its management and continuing expansion. By the 1930s the firm was supplying turned legs as first prototypes and then in full production for makers such as Bluestone & Elivitsky (sometimes known as Bluestone & Elvin) just off Kingsland Road. By 1938/9 the firm moved to larger premises in Hoxton Street and installed a second-hand automatic turning machine by Guilliet of Brussels. In 1948 it moved to larger premises with a railway siding called Marshmoor, Welham Green, Hertfordshire and then rebuilt the existing buildings to make a modern factory of 50,000 sq ft, an office block and 14 large drying kilns by 1959. The business was sold in 1960, with William I. Massil staying as managing director for 4 years. Thereafter it was under the direction of Daniel Eckstein, the company’s accountant, and who bought it himself in the early 1970s. Diversification followed with the manufacture of other turned goods and company was sold to Peter Black Ltd. With the retirement of Eckstein in 1985 the site was sold for redevelopment.
Source: Massil, Immigrant Furniture Workers in London 1881-1939 (1997).