Sunday, December 29, 2013

Rose Kia-Ora


In 1867 a Scotsman by the name of Lauchlan Rose patented the method used to preserve citrus juice without alcohol. A year later he established L. Rose & Co. with a factory in Leith to produce lime juice. The Merchant Shipping Act of 1867 required all ships of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy to provide a daily lime ration to sailors to prevent scurvy. Rose's lime juice became almost ubiquitous, hence the term limey for British sailors. Rose established a presence on the Caribbean island of Dominica and became the main buyer of limes and lime products from across the island. The company contributed to the most prosperous period that the island experienced at the height of the green lime trade from 1903 to the mid-1920s and was one of the most successful agricultural companies ever to be based in Dominica.

In 1917 Rose launched a concentrated fruit soft drink called Kia-Ora. The name was taken from Kia ora a Maori language greeting which means literally “be well/healthy” and was first used for a lemon squash by Arthur Gasquoine in Australia. L. Rose & Co. began the production of  marmalade in the 1930s. The company continued to grow until it was taken over by Schweppes in 1957. The Kia-Ora brand became popular in the 1970s and 80s in the UK. It was widely available in cinemas where it was sold in rectangular plastic cartons that were supplied with a drinking straw.

Today, Rose's lime juice cordial and Kia-Ora are manufactured and distributed by Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd.


by Mark Matlach

Saturday, December 14, 2013

W. & G. Brown

W. & G. Brown was a flour miller and manufacturer and supplier of cereals, established in 1812 in Derby where the company had a flour mill by the River Trent. The company advertised Brown's barley kernels which were used to make porridge or puddings for babies.

Brown's advertising from the 1920s and 30s claimed that their barley kernels were "invaluable for combating fever and kidney trouble", and "promoted health and natural beauty". Brown's flour mill was still operating in 1935, but little is known of the company after this date.

Advertisement

by Mark Matlach

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Pellatt & Co.

Pellatt & Co. was a glass manufacturing company established in London in 1802 by Apsley Pellatt and James Green under the name Pellatt & Green. The company had a glassworks known as the Falcon Glass House in Blackfriars, and a large showroom at St. Paul's Churchyard which became the principal glass shop in London during the Regency period. Pellatt & Green gained recognition for their glass illuminators (“deck lights”) for admitting daylight into internal parts of ships and buildings. Pellatt & Green was also the first in England to manufacture glass paperweights.

Apsley Pellatt died in 1826 and his son Apsley Junior took control of the company which he renamed Apsley Pellatt & Co. in 1831. The firm patented the process for encasing a medallion in glass, later called cameo incrustation or sulphides, however the company's main production was high quality cut crystal glass.

When Apsley Junior retired in 1855, his younger brother Frederick took over the business which was subsequently renamed Pellatt & Co.

In 1890 the firm returned to its former name of  Apsley Pellatt & Co. and in 1921 it was incorporated as a limited liability company which continued to trade into the 1930s.

Cut glass and sulphides had gone out of fashion in the 1850s and Pellatt & Co. turned to the production of engraved glass. The company began exporting glass products to wealthy Maharajas in India and this became a crucial part of its business.


The Pellatt & Co. showroom at St. Paul's Churchyard. For sale were chandeliers, decanters, paperweights, scent bottles and other glass products.

by Mark Matlach

J. W. & Co. and J W E R


J. W. & Co. Ltd. (John Wright & Co. Ltd.) and J W E R (John Wright & Eagle Range Ltd.)

John Wright & Co. was a manufacturer of gas appliances. The company was established in 1862 at the Essex Works in Aston, Birmingham and made gas stoves, cookers, gas fires and radiators. 


In 1900 John Wright absorbed the Eagle Range & Gas Stove Co. and the company became John Wright & Eagle Range Ltd. 

In 1937 the company exhibited at the British Industries Fair where the the firm displayed "Regulo" gas cookers, gas-operated hot water apparatus and large cooking apparatus for hotels and boarding houses. 

In 1961 the company was described as a manufacturer of kitchen ranges, gas fires, cookers and space heaters and had 1,200 employees.

Advertisement, 1903
 

by Mark Matlach

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Gundry & Sons

Gundry & Sons was a boot and shoe maker in London from at least 1820 until c.1953. The business was established at 1 Soho Square in central London as a "ladies shoemaker". The company gained a reputation for fine shoe making through  its participation at international exhibitions and by obtaining Royal Warrants. Gundry & Sons made the shoes for Queen Victoria for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. The business was taken over by John Lobb Ltd. some time after 1953.

Queen Victoria wore these Gundry & Son satin, slip-on shoes on her wedding day. The shoes are trimmed with six bands of ribbon and a small bow, with a leather sole and no heel. This style was very fashionable at the time. The shoes were much too small for the Queen to fit comfortably – she had 9 inch feet and the shoes were a size 3. It was not the done thing for ladies to show their feet and so they often wore shoes that were too small to make their feet as inconspicuous as possible.  

by Mark Matlach

E. A. Gibson


E. A. Gibson & Co. is a shipbroking company founded by Edward Aisbett Gibson in London in 1893. The company quickly established itself in the London broking scene and was actively engaged in the short sea trades around Europe, in timber, coal, coal tar products, and general cargo.

Gibson died in 1913 and  business virtually ground to a halt. Reconstruction of the E. A. Gibson company came in the form of Bill Green who became managing director in 1916. His first achievement was to corner the creosote market. Green then built up oil business for the company, specializing in the handling of crude oil. In a very short time the company became recognized throughout Europe as the principal brokers for crude sales.

During the 1930s, Gibson's tanker chartering operations were widened and the company expanded by opening offices in Paris and Morocco. After the Second World War, an aviation department was established.

In 1961 E. A. Gibson & Co. merged with dry cargo brokers Ferguson Wild to become E. A. Gibson Ferguson Wild. Today, Gibson's shipbroking service is international with a leading presence in London and offices in Houston, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Edward Aisbett Gibson

by Mark Matlach

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Bridgewater Trustees


Bridgewater Trustees
Earl of Ellesmere
Bridgewater Estates Limited



The 3rd Duke of Bridgewater owned extensive estates in Worsley, Greater Manchester. The Industrial Revolution was underway in mid-18th century  Britain and the Duke quickly set about exploiting the rich open coal seams on his land. There was great demand for increased and better transport to service the coal mines at Worsley and convey the coal to expanding markets. The Duke undertook the building of a canal which would eventually link Manchester with the Mersey Estuary. The Bridgewater canal was completed in 1776 and it is said to be the first true canal in Britain and the modern world.

The Duke died unmarried in 1803 and the Dukedom died with him. On his death, the Duke's estates, the canal and coal mines were placed in trust for the benefit of his nephew, Earl George Gower. By the terms of the will, control was vested in a body of three Trustees. With a continually changing personnel, this arrangement lasted for a 100 years.

In 1903 the terms of the Duke's will expired and all the remaining Bridgewater interests passed into the absolute ownership of Francis Charles Egerton, the 3rd Earl of Ellesmere. On the death of the 3rd Earl in 1914, his son John Francis Egerton succeeded him as the 4th Earl of Ellesmere and inherited all his estates and financial interests.

In 1923 the 4th Earl of Ellesmere sold off his estates to a syndicate of Lancashire businessmen who formed a new company called Bridgewater Estates Ltd. Following the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1942, Bridgewater Estates Ltd. surrendered its mine leases to the Coal Commission.  In the 1960s the company owned approximately 7,000 acres of land. Bridgewater Estates made further land purchases during the 1970s, including the Thornley Estate, at Longbridge near Preston. In 1984 the company was acquired by Peel Holdings Ltd. and its name was changed to Peel Estates Ltd. In 1990 the company name was changed to Peel Investments (North) Ltd. after amalgamation with other companies in the Peel Group.



by Mark Matlach

Sunday, November 10, 2013

A. H. LTD. (Alfred Herbert Ltd.)


Alfred Herbert Ltd. was one of the world's largest machine tool manufacturing businesses, and at one time it was the largest machine tool builder in Britain.

The company was founded in 1888 when Alfred Herbert and William Hubbard purchased a small engineering business in Coventry. The firm began making drilling machines, hand lathes, sorting machines and machines for the bicycle trade. After a time the partnership ended and Hubbard was bought out. The company became known as Herbert Machine Tools before becoming Alfred Herbert Ltd. in 1894. The number of employees rose from 180 in 1897 to 1,400 by 1908. In 1899 a foundry was built at Edgwick where most of the company's operations were subsequently based. By 1914, Alfred Herbert Ltd. was one of the largest machine tool manufacturers in the world. The company specialized in making lathes, automatic turning and screw machines, milling machines and ball bearing drilling machines.

In 1944 Alfred Herbert Ltd. became a public company. By this time the firm had a large number of overseas subsidiaries and agencies. By the early 1970s the workforce had grown to around 12,000, but an escalation of machine tool imports into the UK signaled the start of the company's decline. In 1980 Tooling Investments took over the business, but three years later debts of £17 million led to the company's collapse.

Alfred Herbert Works at Edgwick in 1957, one of four in Coventry.
The inset shows the original works in 1889.

by Mark Matlach

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Chas. Goodall & Son Ltd.

Charles Goodall established a company in Soho, London in 1820 to print playing cards and message cards. One of his sons joined the business in 1845 which  became styled Charles Goodall & Son. By the 1850s, the company, along with its competitor  De La Rue & Co., were producing two-thirds of all playing cards made in England.

As demand began outstripping production, new premises were secured in Camden in 1855. The reduction of tax on playing cards in 1862 from one shilling to three pence boosted the playing card industry to almost treble the output. In the 1860s Goodall diversified, launching a range of high quality stationery, as well as games, toys, fountain pens and even toilet paper. New presses in 1879 enabled the company to begin the production of multi-colored calendars, Christmas cards and almanacs. Over the next 30 years the company produced a substantial range of ornate and colorful cards, mainly by chromolithography. By 1900 Charles Goodall & Son was leading the market with annual production of over 2 million packs of playing cards.  

In 1906 Charles Goodall & Son began the production of linen grade playing cards. They soon became popular for their good shuffling and dealing qualities. The range of playing card designs increased enormously in the 1880s. Some pictorial designs were very elaborate with printing in up to 12 separate colors. Advertising back designs started appearing towards the end of the 19th century. They rapidly became very popular and by 1890 were being produced in large quantities. Shipping companies, whiskey distillers, breweries and tobacco companies were the main advertisers, often with a new design each year.

In the 1920s Charles Goodall & Son was taken over by De La Rue & Co., though the Goodall brand names were still used much later. The factory in Camden was kept open until 1929. In the end it was purchased by the Post Office and partially demolished in the 1970s.

Advertising back designs from playing cards by Chas Goodall & Son.
Today, such playing cards are a popular collectable.

by Mark Matlach

Wilson, Matheson & Co.


Wilson, Matheson & Co. was a clothing manufacturer and wholesaler in Glasgow. The company was at its peak in the 1870s when it specialized in producing clothing and travel accessories for customers traveling to the British colonies. This was a time when the British Empire was expanding rapidly and the African and Asian colonies attracted tens of thousands of Scottish administrators, engineers and merchants.

The company had a huge five-story warehouse at 44 Glassford Street in Glasgow that stocked everything for the would-be traveler. There was a wide range of portmanteaus, trunks, and luggage accessories. Furniture items included portable desks and dressing cases, and air beds. Clothing items included tropical helmets, waterproof coats, walking boots and "hats made from every imaginable sort of material, and suitable for all climates."

Merino and fancy hats made by Wilson, Matheson & Co.
illustrated in the company's wholesale and export trade list of 1872.

 



by Mark Matlach

Sunday, October 27, 2013

H. W. Trickett Ltd.


H. W. Trickett Ltd. was a slipper manufacturer based in Rossendale, Lancashire.

As the prosperity of the textile industry in Lancashire began to decline in the mid-19th century, the town of Rossendale, which already had an established felt industry, turned towards the manufacture of footwear. Many of the old cotton mills were converted into premises for the manufacture of slippers and other footwear.

By 1900 there were 13 shoe and slipper factories in Rossendale. Production of slippers totaled 70,000 pairs per week and the slipper trade was described by the local press as “the industry that saved Rossendale”. H. W. Trickett Ltd. was established by Sir Henry Whittaker Trickett who converted the Gaghills cotton mill into one of the largest slipper factories in the area. Trickett became known as “the Slipper King” and by the time of his death in 1913 the company had 1,300 employees, growing to a workforce of 6,000 in the 1920s.

by Mark Matlach

Batger & Co. Ltd.

Batger & Co. Ltd. was a confectionery manufacturer in London from 1748 until 1970. Although the early history of the company is sketchy, an Elizabeth Batger made and sold sweetmeats from a shop in Stepney, east London, in 1748.

From the 1860s Batger's had a factory in Stepney and another in Clapham. The main factory in Stepney manufactured jams, bakery sundries, sweets, and toffee. The best-known products were Chinese figs, Silmos lollies, Jersey Caramels, and John Peel marmalade. The Clapham factory produced Harlequin Christmas Crackers and all forms of cake decorations for the bakery industry.

Batger & Co. was acquired by another confectionery manufacturer called Needlers Ltd. in 1970. The business is now part of Ashbury Confectionery Ltd.

Advertisement 1942



by Mark Matlach

Sunday, October 13, 2013

C K & J LTD. (Chamberlain, King & Jones Ltd.

The C K & J LTD. handstamped overprint belongs to Chamberlain, King & Jones Ltd. , a company of cabinet makers, upholsterers and furniture retailers established in 1851 at Union Street in Birmingham.

Hulley's Birmingham Directory of 1876 lists the business as “carvers and gilders”; the firm was responsible for some of the carving at the Birmingham Law Courts. Kelly's Directory of 1895 describes the firm as “cabinet makers, carpet factors, upholsterers and decorators”.

The company traded until at least 1956.



by Mark Matlach

I. H. S. & Co. (J. Henry Schröder & Co.)

In 1818 Johann Heinrich Schröder founded a banking company in London. The company prospered, focusing on the finance of trade between America and Europe, particularly in the tobacco, cotton, and sugar markets. In the 1850s the firm began issuing bonds for overseas borrowers in the London market. The company's first bond was issued in 1853 to finance the Matanzas and Sabanilla Railway in Cuba. In 1869 Schröder's strong connections with Latin America lead to the firm being appointed as the British agent for the sale of Peruvian guano – an important fertilizer at the time. A specialist department was established to handle the guano business and for the next decade made a significant contribution to the company's profits. In 1870 Schröder introduced the Japanese government's first foreign loan to the London market. This raised £1 million to finance the construction of the country's first railway, between Tokyo and Yokohama.

By the beginning of the 20th century Schröders was one of the leading banking companies in London, issuing bonds for clients around the world. Johann Heinrich Schröder died in 1910 and his nephew Baron Bruno Schröder took control of the business until 1940. In the 1950s the company name was anglicized and changed to Schroders Ltd. In the 1960s and 1970s Schroders established a presence in each of the major financial markets of the world. Subsidiary and associated companies were established to undertake investment banking and asset management activities in a number of countries around the world.

Today, Schroders is a multinational asset management company headquartered in the City of London. The company employs over 3,000 people worldwide across 34 offices in 27 different countries around Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East.



by Mark Matlach

Sunday, October 6, 2013

For sale or trade

Jeff Turnbull has commercial overprints that are available for sale--or for trade for perfin revenues of Great Britain or former Commonwealth countries. Here are some examples of the material that is available:



There are also commercial overprints on receipts and some handstamps. Jeff can provide scans.

If you are a collector interested in adding to your collection or a non-collector who is intrigued by this barely explored piece of history, you can contact Jeff at:



Sunday, September 29, 2013

P. B. Cow & Co.


In 1850 a draper named Peter Brusey Cow purchased a rubber manufacturing company in Deptford in south east London. The business was renamed P. B. Cow & Co. and continued to make rubber products. In 1851 the company was the first to introduce waterproof tweed commercially and the firm won an award at the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. P. B. Cow & Co. prospered and expanded, moving to larger premises in Streatham in 1857. The company manufactured a wide range of rubber goods from hot water bottles and sink plugs to diving suits.

In 1936 P. B. Cow & Co. created the Li-Lo inflatable air-bed. By the 1940s the company was one of the largest manufacturers of air-sea rescue equipment, which led to the formation of the Goldfish Club. During the Second World War, the company heard from a number of aircraft crew who had been rescued in P. B. Cow dinghies after ditching in water. The club was set up and backed financially by P. B. Cow so that members could exchange experiences. There were over 9,000 members by the end of the war and although the company's direct link to the club ended in 1947, the Goldfish Club is still going strong today.

In 1946 the business became a limited company and in 1971 P. B. Cow & Co. Ltd. was acquired by the Allied Polymer Group.


by Mark Matlach

Shipping Gazette and Lloyd's List


Lloyd's List is one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734.

The publication was begun by Edward Lloyd who was the proprieter of Lloyd's Coffee House in the City of London. The coffee house was a popular place for sailors, merchants, insurance underwriters and shipowners, and Lloyd catered to them with reliable shipping news. In 1734 Lloyd began the publication of The List; a reliable but terse source of information for his customers about shipping movements, however it was not until the mid-19th century that Lloyd's List came into its own.

A competitor to Lloyd's List was the Shipping and Mercantile Gazette, which was certainly active in the 1830s. Whilst Lloyd's List dealt very much with day-to-day shipping conditions, the Shipping Gazette was a newspaper in the normal understanding. Major happenings within the shipping industry were commented on including events about vessels and crews. The two publications were merged in 1884 resulting in the Shipping Gazette and Lloyd's List.

In 1914 ownership of the publication was transferred to the Corporation of Lloyds and it became the Lloyd's List. In 1973 it was transferred to a division of the company, Lloyds of London Press Ltd., which became LLP Ltd. in 1995. In 1998 LLP merged with IBC Group plc to form Informa plc, which continues to edit and publish Lloyd's List at Mortimer Street in London.

Lloyd's List is currently published daily--a recent issue in 2013 was numbered 60,850. The circulation is now international, both paper and web-based. As well as shipping news, Lloyd's List today covers marine insurance, offshore energy, logistics, global trade and law.




by Mark Matlach

Sunday, September 22, 2013

S. B. B. S. A., Ld. (Standard Bank of British South Africa Limited)

The Standard Bank of British South Africa Ltd. was a British overseas bank, formed in London in 1862 by a group of South African businessmen. The bank started operations in 1863 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It was prominent in financing and development of the diamond fields of Kimberley in 1867. The word British was dropped from the title in 1883. When gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand, the bank expanded northwards and on 11th October 1886 the bank started doing business in a tent at Ferreira's Camp, thus becoming the first bank to open a branch on the Witwatersrand gold fields.

For the next 50 years Standard Bank of South Africa opened offices across Africa although some of them were unsustainable and subsequently had to be closed. By the mid-1960s the bank had around 600 branches in Africa.

In 1962 the bank was renamed Standard Bank Limited. In 1965 it merged with the Bank of West Africa, expanding its operations into Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. In 1969 a further merger took place, with Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China, and the combined bank became known as Standard Chartered Bank. Today, Standard Chartered Bank operates a network of over 1,700 branches across 70 countries and employs around 87,000 people.
Standard Bank of British South Africa,
Kimberley, South Africa

by Mark Matlach

Sunday, September 15, 2013

T. Meadows & Co.

Thomas Meadows & Co. was established in London in 1836, making it one of the earliest freight companies in Europe. The advent of reliable rail transport and steamships had created demand for the fledgling freight forwarding industry as new trade patterns developed between Europe and North America.

Meadows continued in the freight business until 1989 when the company was acquired by Rockwood International Freight. In 1990 Rockwood was taken over by Delmar of Canada.
Advertisement, 1905

by Mark Matlach

Allen, Solly & Co.

Allen, Solly & Co. was a hosiery manufacturer established in  Nottingham in 1832. Initially the company used the “domestic system” to make their products, whereby workers (called stockingers) were supplied with a loom, raw materials (cotton, silk or wool), and would work at home. The finished products would then be collected and sold. By  the 1850s, Allen, Solly & Co. had gained a reputation for fine quality hosiery. The company was exporting its merchandise to all the principal European countries and boasted of having members of Royal Families, Indian Princes and Presidents of the United States as loyal customers.

As business increased, the domestic system was proving to be an uneconomic method of production. Consequently in 1860, the company built its first factory in Godalming, Surrey. In 1888 a purpose-built factory was established on the outskirts of Arnold, a village near Nottingham. Although Allen Solly engaged in most branches of fully fashioned knitwear, the company began to specialize in 6 and 3 rib hose and half hose. It was to this that the firm owed the greater part of its success and reputation.

In the 1940s and 50s Allen, Solly & Co. was described as a specialist in luxury knitted goods and manufacturer of socks and underwear. In the 1960s the company became part of Coats Viyella and in the 1990s the business was taken over by an Indian company called Madura Garments. Today, Allen Solly is just a brand and production is based in India. The factory in Arnold has been partially dismantled and what remains is used by a number of small businesses. The original knitting room is classified as a heritage building.

by Mark Matlach

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Thresher & Glenny


Thresher & Glenny, founded in 1683, is one of the world's oldest surviving tailors, shirt makers and outfitters. The company has held Royal Warrants since the late 18th century and makes court attire, and bespoke and ready-for-service gentlemen's garments including suits, jackets, shirts and ties. Today, the company trades through a retail outlet at 2 Middle Temple Lane in London.

The business began as a bodice-making company near the Inns of Court in London in 1683. The firm traded as Newham & Binham in 1768 and by 1777 it was known as Newham & Thresher. By 1784 the business was taken over by Richard Thresher and became official hosier to George III. In 1827 the head of the company was John Thresher who described himself as “hosier, glover and flannel draper to His Majesty”. In 1901 the firm traded as Henry John Glenny “Indian and Colonial Outfitter.” The Thresher and Glenny partnership was cemented by marriage over several generations, through which the Glenny name became predomonant. The last family member involved in the firm, Henry Glenny died in 1936, by which time the company had extended its operations to Clifford Street, Savile Row, Conduit Street, Mayfair and Gracechurch Street.

Military, naval and colonial officers made up a large part of the company's clientele at the height of the British Empire, and a number of specialist items were developed for their specific needs, including “Indian Gauze waistcoats”,  overland trunks for journeys to India, and trenchcoats designed for British army officers in the First World War.


by Mark Matlach

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Rivington & Co.

Rivington & Co. was a London-based publishing company founded by Charles Rivington in 1736 and continued by his sons and grandsons until at least 1897.

In 1736 Charles Rivington and a partner called Bettesworth established a company of booksellers called The New Conger, rivaling an older firm called The Conger, which dated from about 1700. From selling books, Rivington moved on to the business of publishing books. In 1741 he published the first volume of Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, which is widely considered to be the first ever novel in English. Pamela was the bestseller of its time and was read by countless buyers of the novel. It was also integrated into sermons as an exemplar. It was even an early “multimedia” event, producing Pamela-themed cultural artifacts such as prints, paintings, waxworks, a fan and a set of playing cards decorated with lines from Richardson's works.

After his death in 1742, Charles Rivington was succeeded by two of his thirteen sons, John and James. John later emigrated to the United States while John carried on the business of Rivington & Co. on the lines marked out by his father and went on to become the great Church of England publisher of his day. In 1760 he was appointed publisher to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the company kept up this relationship for over 70 years. Rivington & Co. went on to publish standard editions of the works of Shakespeare, Milton, Locke, and other English classics. Following the death of John Rivington in 1792, the company remained in the hands of successive generations of the Rivington family until at least 1897, all the while maintaining its reputation for religious and educational works.

Charles Rivington (1688 – 1742)

by Mark Matlach

Unwin Brothers

Unwin Brothers is one of the longest established printing companies in the UK. The firm was established by Jacob Unwin in 1826 in Ludgate Hill, London. When Jacob died his sons George and Edward took control of the business which became styled as Unwin Brothers. The company grew significantly under the stewardship of the brothers.  When the printing works in Ludgate Hill was badly damaged in a fire in 1894 Unwin Brothers was forced to search for alternative premises. The company purchased an old paper mill in Woking, Surrey which was converted into the Saint Martha Printing Works.

In 1901 the company became Unwin Brothers Limited. At this time the  firm was engaged in most aspects of the printing industry, being described as old style, modern and music type printers, lithographers, engravers, stereotypers, bookbinders, account book manufacturers and general and export stationers.

Unwin Brothers Ltd. remained at Saint Martha's until 2007, when the firm merged with another printing company and operations were moved to Chessington.


Unwin Brothers Ltd., Saint Martha Printing Works, Woking

by Mark Matlach