This shop was opened in the West End of London in 1935, as an outpost of Davenports’ main shop at 15 New Oxford Street. It was managed by Gus Davenport. It had L. Davenport & Co on the frontage, but Davenports also referred to it as Maskelyne’s Mysteries. The Maskelyne name was well known to the public, and the family had recently purchased the rights to it, along with the assets of Maskelyne’s Ltd.
The new shop lasted only nine months. When its closure was announced in the Demon Telegraph there was a cartoon of Gus (also illustrated here) titled Moving Day. It showed Gus pushing a trolley full of Marvellous Mysteries, Scintillating Stunts and Gorgeous Gags.
The bill includes the original Maskelyne’s Mysteries presented by The Davenports. The show was put on by the International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring.
This was a show from the British Ring No. 25 of The International Brotherhood of Magicians. The bill includes Maskelyne’s Mysteries presented by The Davenports.
This is used for a word prediction making use of a pack of cards. The instructions are stamped by the supplier: Charles C Eastman, PO Box 245, Haverhill, Mass., USA. The book includes the words Copyrighted 1935 by Chas. C. Eastman.
When Lewis Davenport’s Mickey Mouse automaton (Ref. no. N834) was renovated by Harry Carson he used the illustration of Mickey’s cloths as a model. On the reverse side of the page are drawings by the well known American illustrator James Swinnerton, unrelated to magic.
Davenports put this out under the Maskelyne’s Mysteries banner. Note LD & Co. is mentioned on the front. Inside is a large sheet of paper containing full size diagrams and instructions to make up this apparatus trick. The illustrated advertisement from 1935 explains what the audience see.
This is the agreement whereby Lewis Davenport bought the assets of Maskelyne’s Limited from the receiver, John Dowding Brown. Brown was acting on behalf of the debenture holders. One of the assets was the right to use the name ‘Maskelyne’s Mysteries’. Davenports made good use of this name, not least for their range of magic sets. The purchase price was £300, a considerable sum at the time.
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