Denny's Barbers

Some things about barbering needed to change.
Booking should be easy.
You shouldn't have to spend Saturday morning sitting in a queue.
And you definitely don't need another app on your phone.
But some things were worth keeping.
Knowing your barber.
Having a chat.
Bringing your kids in.
Coming back to the same chair.
Being remembered.
Easy online booking. Loyalty rewards. And a proper barbershop when you get here.
It's not just a haircut. ✂️

One thing Denny's has always been?

A family barbershop. ❤️

Kids don't have to sit perfectly still.

They don't have to love having their hair cut.

They can ask 97 questions, tell me an extremely long story about Minecraft and turn their head at precisely the moment I'm trying to cut around their ear. 😂

They're kids.

We'll get there.

And if you've got a little one who's nervous about haircuts, just let me know when you book.

✂️ FROM THE DENNY’S ARCHIVES

Just when I thought I knew how far back barbering went in our family, I discovered something new…

My great-grandmother’s (pictured above, potentially holding my grandad Sydney) brother, Herbert, was already working as a hairdresser at just 20 years old. He appears in the 1901 census, living in Hull.

The trade then continued through Sydney, he trained his brother Thomas's Son George who went on to also be a world class champion barber. George continued working in the shop and recruited his brother Alan Rowe.

So the barbering tradition in our family didn’t begin with my grandad Sydney—or even with my dad, Denny.

We can now trace it back through the family for at least 125 years.

Did Herbert train Sydney? I don't know, but I like to think so.

My dad used to say "it's in our blood" but I never realised how far back that went until now ❤️💈

DENNY'S STORY — PART TWO

Before Denny's, there was Sydney.

Denny's story didn't actually start with Dad.

It started with his dad — my Grandad, Sydney Rowe.

Sydney was a barber in Hull and this wasn't just his day job. He competed in men's hairdressing from the 1940s through to the 1970s, represented England in the Gents section during the 1960s and later became President of the National Hairdressers Federation in Yorkshire and an international competition judge.

He had six children — five boys and a girl — and taught every one of them to cut hair.

Dad started learning at 13.

I don't have loads of memories of Grandad because he died when I was about 7. To me he was the kind Grandad who gave me Neapolitan ice cream, loved his garden and got understandably furious when me and my cousin wrecked his greenhouse. 😂

It's funny looking back now and realising quite how much of what surrounds me every day started with him.

Sydney taught Denny.

Denny taught me.

Although at this point in the story, I wasn't even a thought yet...

Next week: Denny goes out on his own — and barbering takes him a long way from Hull.

FROM THE DENNY’S ARCHIVE 📸
Denny Rowe — before Denny’s. Before the world records. Before any of it.
Found this little photo of Dad while going through the family archive.
Long before he became a barber, moved to Tunbridge Wells, broke shaving world records and eventually put his name above the door of Denny’s… he was this little lad, on his way to a fancy dress party, dressed "as my old man's a dustman" a song the kids used to sing together.
He was born in 1952 into a barbering family. His dad, Sydney Rowe, was already a competition barber — and years later would teach Dad to cut hair at just 13. He liked to act on stage, and mess about with his brothers and sister. Road their bikes to Bridlington and came home in time for tea. Shoot needles from slingshots at passengers from the roof of bus stops (which i do not condone!! 🤣) He and his brothers probably drove my Grandma round the bend.
And that's really where the Denny's story begins.

I've got boxes of this stuff, so I'm going to start sharing some of it properly.
Some of it is barbering history.
Some of it is Tunbridge Wells history.
And some of it is just Dad being Dad.
From the Denny’s Archive ❤️