Waukenphast Ltd.

Waukenphast produced cork-soled shoes for man and women in the 19th century. These shoes were available in Britain and the US.

Newspaper ad 22nd February 1884

by Paul Green

Dugdale Bros. & Co.

In 1896, Henry Percy and Frederick Herbert Dugdale established their cloth merchants business in Huddersfield, the centre of Britain's fine worsted industry. Using skilled designers, weavers, and finishers, their ranges soon found favor with the finest tailors and their reputation quickly spread throughout Europe and the Americas.

Today, Dugdale Brothers and Company Limited remain exclusive designers, fabric merchants, and suppliers to Savile Row and the finest tailors, couturiers, and retailers throughout the world.

by Paul Green

East Surrey Water Company

Sutton and East Surrey Water is a water-only company that supplies customers in east Surrey and parts of west Sussex, west Kent, and south London. They have around 270,000 customers and serve a population of approximately 650,000 people.

The supply area is 322 square miles (830 km2), extending from Morden and South Croydon in the north to Gatwick Airport in the south, and from Cobham and Dorking in the west to Edenbridge and Bough Beech in the east.

1862: The Caterham Spring Water Company is founded. It supplies water to Caterham, Coulsdon, Chaldon, Warlingham, Godstone, Bletchingley, Nutfield, Reigate, Redhill, and Earlswood.

1863: The Sutton and Cheam Water Company begins to supply water to the parish of Sutton.

1871: Sutton District Water takes over the Sutton and Cheam Water Company. This new company supplies Sutton, Cheam, Carshalton, Wallington, Beddington, Morden, Banstead, Woodmansterne, Ewell, and Cuddington.

1885: The Caterham Spring Water Company merges with the Kenley Water Company, creating the East Surrey Water Company.

1910: Kingswood is added to the Sutton District Water's supply area.

1927: East Surrey Water merges with Leatherhead and District Water.

1930: East Surrey Water merges with the Chelsham and Warlingham Water Company and the Limpsfield and Oxted Water Company.

1959: East Surrey Water merges with the Dorking Water Company.

1996: Sutton District Water merges with the East Surrey Water to form Sutton and East Surrey Water.

by Paul Green

John Dickinson Stationery

The company was founded in Apsley Hertfordshire in 1804 by John Dickinson, who invented a continuous mechanized paper-making process. In June 1807, Dickinson patented a method of paper-making that rendered his rivals' techniques (principally the Fourdrinier machine) obsolete.

Dickinson established paper mills at Apsley (a former flour mill), at Nash Mill (formerly a mediaeval corn-mill) in 1811, and at Croxley in Hertfordshire. The river and canal at Apsley and Nash Mills provided power for the mills and transport for materials and product.

The mill-house at Nash Mill, called Nash House, became the family home for Dickinson and his new wife Ann (née Grover) whose father Harry Grover supported this business development through his Grover's Bank. In a very few years, Nash Mills was renowned for its production of tough thin paper for Samuel Bagster's Pocket Reference Bible. A major fire in 1813 was a setback, but, being covered by insurance, enabled redevelopment towards large scale production.

In 1850, the company started mechanical envelope manufacturing, producing gummed envelopes for the first time.

During the 19th century, Sir John Evans and his son Lewis Evans (whose elder brother was the archeologist Sir Arthur Evans) both managed the company.

John Dickinson & Co. Ltd had their Engineering Department at Nash Mills until 1888, when it was transferred to Apsley Mill.

By the end of the nineteenth century, Nash Mill, which was small and had a reputation for independence, experienced a drop in profitability. Continuous minor changes were implemented until, in 1926, it underwent improvements with expansion, remodeling, and refurbishment.

The Lion brand was adopted as the company logo in 1910 and in the following year (1911), the Basildon Bond brand was established. Companies were then formed in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere (thirteen countries in all).

Dickinson Robinson Group Ltd (DRG) was formed in 1966, creating one of the world's largest stationery and packaging companies. In 1999, the company relocated from Apsley (Hertfordshire) to the village of Sawston south of Cambridge.

In 1999, the paper mills owned by John Dickinson in the Apsley area were closed and the land was sold and redeveloped. The mill at Nash Mills however was sold to the international Sappi Group and continued to make paper until 2006. This mill has been closed down and subsequently sold. Redevelopment plans for housing are being publicized in September 2007.

by Paul Green

J. Lyons & Co.

J. Lyons & Co. was originally founded in 1887 as a spin-off from the Salmon & Gluckstein tobacco company. Joseph Nathaniel Lyons (born 1847) was appointed to run the company, and it was named after him.

The company was a substantial food manufacturer, with factories at Cadby Hall in Hammersmith and in Greenford that produced bread, cakes, pies, tea, coffee, and ice cream.

To the public, J. Lyons & Co. were best known for their chain of tea shops, which began in 1894 and finally closed in 1981, and for the Lyons Corner Houses in the West End of London. The tea shops were slightly more up-market than their ABC (Aerated Bread Company) counterparts. They were notable for their interior design, from the 1920s Oliver P. Bernard being consultant artistic director.


Until the 1940s the tea shops had a certain working-class chic, but by the 1950s and 60s they were quick stops for busy shoppers where one could get a cup of tea and a snack or a cheap and filling meal. The tea shops always had a bakery counter at the front, and their signs, art nouveau gold lettering on white, were a familiar landmark. Before the Second World War, service was to the table by uniformed waitresses, known as 'Nippies', but after the War the tea shops converted to cafeteria service.

The Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their art deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, the Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers, and more. In addition to this, they had hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies, and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open 24 hours a day, and in their heyday each one employed in the region of 400 staff. They were colourful and bustling, with bright lights and ingenious window displays designed by Kay Lipton (née Man). In the post-war gloom, the Corner Houses, smarter and grander than the local tea shops, provided a degree of escapist relaxation.

Between 1896 and 1965, Lyons also owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.

As well as the tea shops and Corner Houses, Lyons ran other large restaurants such as the Throgmorton in Throgmorton Street. Their chains have included Steak Houses (1961–1988), Wimpy Bars (1953–1976), Baskin-Robbins (1974-) and Dunkin' Donuts (1989-).

In 1938, Lyons purchased the Bee Bee Biscuit Company, which manufactured biscuits from its factories in Blackpool. Six years later, Lyons changed the company's name to Symbol Biscuits Ltd. and began selling biscuits under the Symbol and Lyons brand names: one of their innovations was Maryland Cookies in 1956. The company was losing money in the 1960s, but remained under the control of the Salmon family, descended from a founding partner. In 1990, Lyons changed the Symbol Biscuits name to Lyons Biscuits Ltd.

In 1978, Lyons was acquired by Allied Breweries and became part of the resulting Allied Lyons. It fell on hard economic times in the late 1980s; and was sold, eventually being broken up with its ice cream and ice lolly products, which were branded as Lyons Maid, being sold to Nestlé. Other parts that were sold off included Lyons Cakes being sold to RHM and ending up as part of their Manor Bakeries subsidiary, which also makes Mr. Kipling's Cakes and Ready Brek cereal. This holding eventually ending up being owned by Weetabix Limited. At the end of 1994, Lyons sold its Lyons Biscuits Ltd. to Hillsdown Holdings, which later sold it to a U.S. investment firm, which subsequently sold it to large biscuit manufacturer Burton's Foods Ltd.

by Paul Green

Surridge Dawson (Holdings) Ltd.

Wm. Dawson & Sons Ltd. was established about 1809 and P. W. J. Surridge & Sons Ltd. in 1905. In 1933 the wholesale newspaper trade of Wm. Dawson & Sons Ltd. and the entire trade of P. W. J. Surridge & Sons Ltd. were amalgamated into a new company, Surridge Dawson & Co., Ltd. In its first year of operation, the turnover of the newly-formed company was less than £lm but by 1962 its turnover had increased to over £6m.

In 1963, the London wholesale newsagency trade of Surridge Dawson was combined with the London wholesale trade of George Vickers Ltd. of Brixton in a new company, Surridge Vickers Ltd. The operation of this company was not financially successful and arrangements were made for W. H. Smith and John Menzies to supply its customers, no consideration being given. Surridge Dawson then ceased wholesale trading in reference goods in London.

Also in 1963, the business of Abel Heywood & Son Ltd., a Manchester wholesaler of reference goods, was acquired with the assistance of ICFC--who now retain a 15 per cent interest in Surridge Dawson Ltd., the present wholesale news agency operating company.

Between 1966 and 1975, a further 10 wholesale news agency businesses were acquired, forming new branches of the group. In addition, 20 small wholesale news agency businesses were acquired in the same period and were absorbed into the group's existing wholesale news agency branches.

The present structure of the group dates from 1974, when Surridge Dawson & Co. Ltd. became Surridge Dawson (Holdings) Ltd., the holding and administrative company, with Surridge Dawson Ltd. as the wholesale operating company for the supply of reference goods. By 1975, the group's wholesale turnover in reference goods was estimated as £25m.

In 1976, the group had a total of 42 wholesale houses and 77 sub-depots supplying reference goods to some 3,700 outlets. The group did not trade in Scotland. On the retail side, the group had 22 retail shops selling reference goods in 1976, five of which were acquired prior to 1961, and the remainder in the years 1971-76.

The policy of the group is to continue expansion into the wholesale and retail trade within the limited resources available.

by Paul Green

M. Huntbach & Co. Ltd.

In 1876, Michael Huntbach opened a small drapery shop in Lamb Street in Hanley, Staffordshire. He was helped in the running of the store by his wife and his two sisters. As the business prospered, Huntbach extended the shop by acquiring the neighbouring premises on both sides of Lamb Street, creating a large wholesale and retail drapery store. The business was Hanley's first superstore and occupied more than 20,000 square feet of space and employed 300 permanent staff.

Advertisement 1895

Huntbach was also a politician. In 1890 he became mayor of Hanley. His most notable achievement while in office was that he created the first public park in Hanley. Going to the park on a Sunday became the highlight of the week for Hanley residents. It was a formal occasion and it seems that you were not allowed to enjoy yourself. Sweets and cigarettes were banned from sale and the children's playgrounds were locked. Michael Huntbach died in 1910, although his company continued until at least the 1920s.

by Mark Matlach