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Sportspace - Hemel Hempstead
 
 
Sunday, 1st August 2010

 
6 The postal era

In the post room at Apsley in about 1955
THERE was a great explosion of postal services during the first half of the 19th century.

It was something John Dickinson had seen coming, and he made the most of it.

He patented a process for putting silk thread into paper to help prevent forgery and this paper was used for stamped postal covers, which were known as the Mulberry covers and which helped establish the uniform penny post, made famous soon after by the legendary Penny Black stamps.

Dickinson had hoped his paper would be used for the first stamps but watermarked paper was chosen for the process.

Envelopes then became the big growth industry. Though Dickinson was not one of the early pioneers in this field he quickly bought out one of the two companies that had envelope patents and went into production.

Postcards and Air Mail were all to play their part in the company’s continued success.
Air Mail was launched in 1937 when the flying boat Centurion left Southampton bound for South Africa with1.5 tons of mail.

Dickinson’s pointed out to customers that an ordinary letter on Basildon Bond notepaper weighed less than half an ounce and incurred no surcharge, but those who wrote long letters were advised to use Basildon Air Mail paper, while businesses could use Croxley Air Mail Blue Bond.

To return to the John Dickinson introduction page, click below
 
 

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