GTL of 12-13 Chiswell Street, Finsbury (London, EC1) was a tool supplier that operated between the 1920s and 30s . The tools they had on offer were aimed at the DIY and amateur carpenter market.
GTL’s newspaper adverts suggested that rather than spending money on leisure activities, you could instead make money by investing in their tools or a tool chest: “MAKE EXTRA MONEY IN YOUR SPARE TIME WITH THE ALL BEST BRITISH G.T.L. TOOL CHEST AND HOME REPAIRING OUTFIT”.
“A FEW SHILLINGS BRINGS YOU THE G.T.L. TOOL CHEST AT ONCE ON A SEVEN DAYS APPROVAL“. The balance to be paid by small monthly sums to suit your pocket.
“NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED” – a free instruction booklet supplied with every tool chest contained 200 working illustrations to ensured immediate success.
Initially, the guarantee was that all the tools supplied would be manufactured by British subcontractors. “BETTER THAN EVER VALUE” in the 1938/39 catalogue the guarantee then became “FINEST SHEFFIELD TOOLS.”
The best known GTL tool is the brass plane, often described as having a ‘Norris-type’ adjuster.
The old tool collector 