GREAT BRITAIN
Companies S to Z 

   = Understood to be a current stamp printer.    = company still believed to exist.

Companies A-D      Companies E-K
Companies L-R

Charles Skipper and East, London and Paris.
Abbreviation known by: CS&E.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1887 for Haiti.

Somerset House, London.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler:  GB. Somerset House/The Stamp Office/Inland Revenue First Stamps GB 1694 Revenue stamps. 1847 (Embossed) for Great Britain.

Stamping Department
(See Somerset House entry above.)

T. F. Todhunter, London.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1863 for Liberia.

John Waddington of Kirkstall Limited, Kirkstall, Leeds.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1976?
Main printing process(es): Litho, photogravure

John Waddington Limited was a leading producer of playing cards and card games in the UK during the period 1922-1995. The company had been founded in the nineteenth century by Mr John Waddington and Wilson Barratt as Waddingtons Ltd. It was renamed John Waddington Ltd in 1905. The original Mr John Waddington resigned in 1913.

From 1905 to 1923 John Waddington Ltd had developed from a very small printing establishment with practically all business obtained from the theatre, into a nationally known firm. Over the years, they became a highly diversified group with several factories specialising in particular areas of printing - packaging, stationery, advertising, plastics, security printing, playing cards and, of course, postage stamps.  Prior to 1970 they were sub-contractors to De La Rue and Format International.

They ceased stamp production upon acquisition of The House of House of Questa Limited by Waddington.

Walsall Lithographic Company, Walsall.
Founded: 1894.
(See entry below for Walsall Security Printers Limited.)

Walsall Security Printers Limited, Walsall.
Abbreviation known by: WSP.
Founded: 1966.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1963 for Tonga; 1966 (Overprints) for Tonga.
Main printing process(es): Litho, die-cut, gravure, gold foil blocking, typography
Activities English (D&B):  Security Printers. Subject Prints Postage Stamps, Travel Tickets And Gift Vouchers.

The original company, Walsall Lithographic Company was founded in 1894; whilst Walsall Security Printers Limited was established in 1966 to concentrate on the specialist skills required for postage stamp printing.

Walsall as a town was renowned for its leather products in the 19^th century and Walsall Lithographic Company was established to print catalogues for the harness and saddlers businesses.

It was the purchase of a German letterpress ‘seal’ machine in 1913 that indirectly led to the first stamp contract for WSP fifty years later! The King of Tonga had a requirement for a set of stamps embossed on gold foil and De La Rue recommended Walsall for the job. The next non-Tonga contract came from Sierra Leone for self-adhesive free-form stamps. To this day, WSP specialise in self-adhesive stamps, although water-activated stamps still account for most of the business.

By 1969, the company was producing stamps for the Crown Agents (CA) and Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation (IGPC). In 1987, they were appointed a supplier to the British Post Office.

Expansion of this family owned business continued with the installation of a new photogravure stamp printing press in 1997.

Established International Security Printers Group (ISP) in 2004. Incorporating Walsall, Cartor and Courvoisier. Also linked to the Swedish state printer.

Waterlow & Sons Limited, London.
Abbreviation known by: W&S.
Founded: 1810, incorporated 1897.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1852.
Belgian subsidiary : Imprimérie Belge de Securité [Imprimérie
Absorbed Waterlow, Brothers & Layton in 1920. The company was absorbed into De La Rue on 9 January 1961. In 2005 it was shown as registered to Polestar Holding Limited, apprently entering into liquidation in 2004.
Main printing process(es): Recess, photogravure, typography

Waterlow, Brothers & Layton, London.
Founded: 1877.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: [when?].
The company was absorbed into Waterlow & Sons Limited in 1920.

Whitehead, Morris & Company Limited, London.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1910 for Newfoundland.

A British company, with a presence in London, South Africa and Egypt. Their first postal items (printed in England, at least) appear to be from circa 1910.

They seem to have sub-contracted much of their stamp printing work to other printers (for Newfoundland, at least). Certainly, in 1910, they arranged for an A. Alexander & Sons Limited to print the "Guy" issue, and for Messrs De La Rue to print work for them after 1910.

Charles Whiting, London.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1861 for Prince Edward Island.

Williams, Lea & Co. Ltd, [where?]
Responsible for printing by recess the Hong Kong 1941 $1 and $2 from De La Rue plates (NOT the Centennial issue).
Main printing process(es): Typography.

Contractor to De La Rue after their premises were bombed in December 1940. They were not a security printer.

 Page updated 01 September 2008.  All material Copyright  © 2000-Date Glenn H Morgan FRPSL.