JUKEBOX MARGARET

If you walk down a particular terrace in Islington, North London, and peer through one of the windows of a certain flat-fronted townhouse you may be lucky enough to spot nine glowing jukeboxes inside.

In fact this is the work of a lady known locally as Jukebox Margaret, collector of these wonderful vintage machines.

It all started back in the mid 1990s, when Margaret’s late husband David worked as an antiques silver dealer. David had a reputation for being a bit of detective, and knowing the intricate ins and outs of all his stock. One day a client confessed to David that he was itching to own a jukebox, in the hope that David, with his ability to track down obscure items, would be the perfect person to help.

Using specialist knowledge picked up over years spent at fairs, auctions and record shops, David did indeed locate a jukebox for his client – but the story didn’t end there. In the process of searching he had become obsessed by jukeboxes himself, and he teamed up with an importer to build his own collection. The problem came when the lease ended at his shop off Bond Street, and he had to move out. Moving the silver was easy; moving two jukeboxes not so much. Margaret let him bring them home. 

David died a few years ago, but his love of sound and music lives on in Margaret’s heart. She is gently restoring and selling them, but she is choosy about who she deals with; she has to like you first, and then you have to solemnly promise to  respect the specialist craftsmanship. 

A selection from the collection occupies her living room, the oldest being from 1948 and the youngest from 1962. I was once lucky enough to be invited in to “play a few records, press a few buttons” on them. Margaret taught me how to do a teddy boy spin, and then "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" came on, and we both had a little cry. It was that slight crackle in the sound that transported us back in time; not something you'll ever get from Spotify.