THE closure of Hatton's Fishing Tackle shop in St Owen's Street, Hereford will happen like any other - with dusting off, sweeping out and locking up.

But this ordinary end will belie the remarkable achievements and proud history of a Hereford institution once known throughout the world for its patented 'Wye Minnow' and the unparalleled expertise of those who have run it to this day.

The shop includes among its customers over the years: Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales and George VI when he was Duke of York.

Back when the sparkling waters of the Wye rippled with 40-pound salmon, every fisherman chose a different spot on the banks.

But one spot shared by all those in the know was the inside of Hatton's where handmade rods and hand-tied flies were made on premises and specifically designed for use on the Wye.

The first mention of Hatton's of Hereford in fishing circles is at 1883's Fisheries Exhibition in London where the Hatton Brothers, already sports retailers in St Peter's Street, had a stall.

Just after the turn of the 20th century, Herbert Hatton took the fishing side of the business and expanded into separate premises in St Owen's Street.

To this day Herbert is regarded as arguably king of salmon fishing on the Wye and his customers and many correspondents from all over the world dredged him for his knowledge until his death in 1955.

Herbert landed no fewer than 14 salmon over 40-pound in the river using the 'Wye Minnow' he designed and patented in 1907.

His love of the sport ran deep. He once told a friend about the trauma of parting with a salmon-specific Slater reel: "I hesitated a long while about letting it go, but the wife took matters into her own hands and put it in a case in the shop. Twice I rescued it from beginners who were going to buy it for eel fishing. I thought such a fate would be a waste."

When Herbert died in 1955, his son John Hatton took over.

Master craftsmen

Such was he and his assistant Norman Owen's skill in rod making, they were to become the only representatives of the fishing tackle trade in the Guild of Master Craftsmen.

John Hatton used to describe the shop as 'an Aladdin's cave' because every inch of floor and wall space teemed with an array of rods, reels, spinners and flies.

During the 1960s the shop would repair more than 3,000 rods every year and orders for new ones came from Australia, USA, Canada ad Africa.

Norman Owen took over in 1974, followed by John Waters, who ran the shop until 1985.

Hatton's flourished throughout the 80s and 90s under the dedicated ownership of Peter Stallard, who described taking on the famous store as a challenge.

But, like trying to stop the flow of the Wye itself, nothing could be done about the declining numbers of salmon and those who come to fish it.

Unfortunately, if the numbers and the crowds return it will be to a Hereford minus Hatton's.