Refreshment in Finsbury Park and Carlo Gatti

Comment by Hugh on April 24, 2016 at 13:03

Interesting, another Italian-Swiss. Did you see this piece the other day about Pazzi's by the Finsbury Park Gates?

Comment by matthew cuthbert on April 25, 2016 at 9:09

Over fifteen years ago I met a Mrs Gatti, a very frail English lady, who must have been in her eighties, and a long standing resident of Salisbury Mansions. I helped her connect her TV one time, (the Salisbury Mansions Committee gave a feeling of community, good years, we enjoyed living there.) I wonder if our Mrs Gatti had connection with Carlo Gatti's family? I'll try and find out her first name.

Comment by Richard Woods on April 30, 2016 at 0:06

Nothing new in stray apostrophes then....

Comment by Don on April 30, 2016 at 15:39

I remember, growing up in the 50s, seeing bright yellow flatbed lorries delivering large blocks of ice (kept cold under tarpaulins) to restaurants and shops that presumably didn't have freezers, leaving  a trail of water across the pavement. The company name on the side was "United Carlo Gatti", which always seemed exotic to me; obviously widespread adoption of commercial refrigeration did for this aspect of the business.

Not really connected at all, but at the other end of the heat spectrum there was also the "Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company", who re-surfaced the roads and had contrasting green lorries with enormous vats of bubbling tarmac heated by gas (?) burners on the back; you could smell them a long way away and I adored sniffing the - no doubt highly-carcinogenic - fumes they gave off. And have I imagined reading about it subsequently, or were children at some point encouraged to inhale these fumes as supposedly being good for chest infections? 

Comment by Richard Woods on April 30, 2016 at 16:37

I had that from my family about tar fumes. I guess the theory went with the other idea that cigaratte smoking was good for you (I can vouch for the opposite truth!). Of course the smell of hot tar is also quite similar to the smell associated with thermal baths - at least those where the ground methane was well mixed in!

Comment by John D on April 30, 2016 at 17:12

I liked the smell of hot tar and we believed it " cleared the tubes" 

Comment by Hugh on February 16, 2021 at 10:10

Roy do you remember where the snippet you published abovecame form? It looks like it may have been from a book?

Comment by Roy aka Smiffy on February 17, 2021 at 10:46

Hugh, the picture was part of a display in either the London Canal Museum or Docklands Museum - I visited both on a visit to London c2012.

The poor quality is due to a phone photo, my camera having run out of battery juce. 

Comment by Hugh on February 17, 2021 at 10:54

I'm glad you took the snap, Roy.

I was looking up Gatti last night and learned that he spent most of his last years after 1871 back in Italy. He died in 1878.  I was wondering if one of his children has taken over the business, or whether it had been sold to someone else after he retired/died.

Comment by Roy aka Smiffy on February 18, 2021 at 10:43

 Yes he died in 1878 and is buried in Bellinzonea cemetery, Ticino, Switzerland.

Swiss-Italian family. Restaurateurs, music hall, theatre and electricity supply entrepreneurs. Four generations of note, all born in Dongio, Val di Blenio, Ticino, Switzerland: Carlo; Agostino (1841–1897) and Stefano (1844–1906) who were sons of Carlo's brother Giovanni; Sir John who was Agostino's son; and Jack (1898–1972), Sir John's son.

(Very likley there are living relatives.)

Agostino and Stefano ran the Adelphi Theatre, the Adelphi Theatre Restaurant and the Vaudeville Theatre all in the Strand. Other businesses: Royal Adelaide Gallery

Ref:

https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/gatti-family

(While looking for links and information I think I have made a little personal discovery - more later)

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