Comments on: The Caslon Letter Foundry

By: Asanka chandimal

Asanka chandimal — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 14:21:17 +0000

I am from Sri Lanka I found about your company very old more than hundred years old I have some of the most letters of the your company some of the documents so if you need it let me know I can send it you 0094777644565 whatsapp

By: JM Tubbs

JM Tubbs — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 10:35:30 +0000

My great grandfather Percy B Tubbs FRIBA was credited in 1933 obituaries (Who was Who etc) with work for Caslon, Chiswell Street. I have no further documentation for this but it seems much more likely that the Hackney Wick works was his, as there do not seem to have been any 20th century developments at Chiswell Street. He was also credited with work on private property for Caslons at Fittleworth, Sussex but I have not found any trace of their residence there. I have the signatures of SH and Stella M Caslon on a 1922 family wedding menu so they were personal friends.
I have been puzzled by the disappearance of the LCC Blue Plaque from the modern building on the site of 22-23 Chiswell Street which stated the foundry operated there until 1909. Chiswell St premises were totally destroyed in the Blitz, probably 29-30 December 1940. Almost every property on Rothbury Road was also damaged in the Blitz. The Blitz map shows that the caretaker’s cottage was damaged beyond repair. The front range was damaged but repairable. There was also another range at the back of the yard which was seriously damaged, probably beyond repair. There are no prewar buildings remaining on Rothbury Road.
I would welcome any further information on any of the above.

By: Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 07:26:00 +0000

It was terrific to be at the launch party last night, and to meet both the Gentle Author and some of the current staff at Baddeley Brothers. And, of course, I have a signed copy of the book, which I started reading on the train home: brilliantly designed and beautifully produced, as one would expect from this team of all the talents!

By: Linda Granfield

Linda Granfield — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 10:23:44 +0000

Wonderful details in these crisp photographs. No one looking up at the camera, everyone diligently working in those huge rooms. Even the cat looks on guard!

There must have been hundreds working for that company. (Wonder what the lunchroom and other facilities looked like!)

Congratulations on your new book! Have fun at the launch and sign many copies!

By: Teresa Stokes

Teresa Stokes — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 08:08:28 +0000

I love the photos of Sydney Caslon Smith and Harold Arthur Caslon Smith in their offices. I see from Wikipedia that the business was bought by T W Smith and partners in 1873 so it appears from these men’s names that the Smith family married into the Caslon family. Have they descendants today?

By: Hilda Kean

Hilda Kean — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 07:56:02 +0000

Interesting about the gendered division of labour – and pleased the presence of the cat is acknowledged!

By: Robert Green

Robert Green — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 23:27:07 +0000

Lovely photos, the thing that strikes me most about all these images is the great numbers of people who were involved in the production of the products, clearly a lot of care and effort went into the manufacturing, unlike today when so much is produced by robots or by someone simply pushing a button, whenever I walk around this part of Hackney Wick I always try to imagine what it must have been like in the days when these photos were taken, looking at the area now it seems so hard to believe it was ever like this but luckily these lovely photos prove that it was, Good Luck with the launch.