Here at G.W. Pack Jewellers, we’re proud of the rich history surrounding the business and the services we provide to the people of Tiverton and beyond. You’ve probably spent most of your life walking past our shop, but did you know that our history goes all the way back to 1848? From changing hands to living through two world wars, we’ve seen a lot of big events in our time, and we’d love to tell you all about them. So, grab a cup of tea, sit back, and read about the long life that G.W. Pack Jewellers has had.
Nearly Two Centuries in the Making
For us, it all began in 1848 with the birth of our founder, Jacob Venner Pack. He was born in Oakford, which is a little village outside of Tiverton, and originally got a start in life winding clocks for various manor houses – it wasn’t until a little later that he started up the business in 1875 which would eventually become the G.W. Pack Jewellers that you all know and love. 1875 was our ‘birth’ if you will - we’ve gone through a few iterations of the business since then!
The original business was started and based out of Leat Street. Jacob ran G.W. Pack until 1928, at which point, he turned the business over to WJF Pack. It stayed in the family, but the business itself had moved during Jacob’s time as owner – from Leat Street down to Bridge Street, which is where it would stay for quite some time. However, the next few owners of the business would see exciting and even scary times before we get to modern-day Tiverton!
World Wars, Floods and Theft
In 1928, WJF Pack assumed ownership of G.W. Pack Jewellers along with his wife, Lillian Mary Gladys Pack (nee Dare). As the great-nephew of Jacob, WJF Pack dabbled in spectacles and charging accumulators for radios. As part of his tenure, he employed his nephew, Donald Richards, who worked as a watch and clock repairer. This team worked together for 40 long years and then passed over ownership to Geoffrey & Jennifer Pack – which would form the incarnation of our business best known as Pack’s. Here’s a fun fact about Geoff - his father was seconded to a factory in Gloucestershire during the war. He went on to make fine instruments for aircraft, which helped during WWII.
Geoff’s tenure behind the wheel of the business was long, and he saw many changes come into play that would shape the business as we know it today, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. The first notable event was in 1960. The Great Flood - a period where the River Exe burst its banks and flooded most places along its path - saw Tiverton submerged in 3 feet of water and caused extensive damage to all the local shops and businesses. Unfortunately, almost immediately after the flooding came a smash-and-grab job against the business, which saw a large number of watches taken from the property. It came as quite a surprise when most of them turned up at Seven Crosses - evidently, the thieves thought better of their heist and dumped the goods!
So, after a few difficult years, things did begin to improve. A second shop opened up in 1983 at 38A Gold Street, and was active for 14 years. In April 1994, Gold Street became the main base of operations after a fire at the Seven Stars pub temporarily shut the shop in Bridge Street. However, Gold Street was closed down, due to Bridge Street reopening in 1995 after the fire damage had been repaired. Fun fact- Geoff once chased someone down St. Paul’s Street because they stole a pad of rings!
The All-New, All-Popular
Of course, time waits for no one, so eventually, Geoff & Jenny did have to pull back from their days of running the store and retired. Their replacements came from within the family, as was tradition - The business was passed over to Rachel and Lucy, Geoff and Jenny’s daughters. They still own the store to this day.
But, we’re not just jewellers, you know. A tradition which we have carried on, is our role in winding all of the clocks in the town. The practice dates back to WJF Pack, who wound the clocks on Lowman Green, the Town Hall, People’s Park and the Courtroom clock, which is still there even though the original courtroom is now out of commission.
A History in Retrospect
That brings us pretty much to the here and now. We moved up to our current base of operations in Fore Street, and we’ve been working there ever since. It’s been a long and interesting history - we’ve seen quite a few things happen and been witness to some of the defining moments of the last few centuries.
However, if we’re being honest, the one thing that has been the most enjoyable for our family-run business is that we’ve seen Tiverton grow and change over the years. The town is exceptionally hardy, having survived two world wars, a flood and other disasters over the course of the last 149 years. The town is almost unrecognisable compared to when we started, but the spirit of Tiverton has endured.
At G.W. Pack, we’re proud to offer our services to the people of Tiverton and the wider area, and we hope to continue serving you for many years to come. We also have every intention of continuing to wind the clocks and staying active in the community. Tiverton is a lovely place to live. We’re glad that Jacob chose this place all that time ago, and we hope that we can carry on his legacy and the services he wanted to give people. Maybe sometime in the future, who knows? We could open a second shop or even a third… but for now, we’re happy as we are!