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Sportspace - Hemel Hempstead
 
 
Sunday, 1st August 2010

 
14 SIGNIFICANT DATES
SIGNIFICANT dates in the John Dickinson story

1782 John Dickinson born

1797 John Dickinson apprenticed to a London stationer

1804 John Dickinson set up as a stationer in City of London

1807 John Dickinson took out first two patents - for mechanical cutting of paper reels and for non-smouldering of cartridge paper

1809 John Dickinson bought Apsley Mill, Hemel Hempstead

1810 John Dickinson bought Nash Mill; married Ann Grover

1818 Acquired a small paper mill at Batchworth

1826 A third mill was opened a mile (or two locks) down the canal at Home Park

1830 Paper production started at Croxley Mills, Watford

1840 Dickinson’s silk-thread security paper introduced the first uniform Penny Post

1850 Mechanical envelope manufacture started at Dickinson

1859 John Dickinson retired

1869 John Dickinson died a few days short of his 87th birthday

1879 Nash Mills rebuilt

1886 Dickinsons became private limited company

1890 Lion Brand paper instituted in Calcutta

1891 Batchworth Mill closed

1894 Dickinson opened Cape Town office

1910 Lion Brand adopted as Dickinson’s logo

1917 John Dickinson & Co (South Africa) formed. John Dickinson & Co (Australia) formed

1918 Dickinson’s acquired Millington & Sons, originators of Basildon Bond

1930 John Dickinson & Co (New Zealand) formed

1946 John Dickinson open works at Kirkby, Liverpool

1948 John Dickinson opened factory at Leighton Buzzard

1951 John Dickinson started business forms department at Apsley

1963 New 250,000 sq ft stationery factory opened at Apsley

1966 Formation of the Dickinson Robinson Group Ltd - DRG

1968 The Dickinson Robinson Group Africa (Pty) Ltd, formed - DRG

1969 DRG (New Zealand) Ltd, formed. DRG (Canada) Ltd, formed

1971 Croxley Transcript carbonless copy paper launched. New continuous stationery factory opened at Apsley

1973 New paper and stationery stock & re-distribution centre opened at Tottenham

1974 DRG acquired a 45% interest in Papeteries de la Couronne S.A. Angoulene, France. J. Arthur Dixon, Newport (IOW) and Inverness and S.J. Green & Son, London, joined the group

1975 DRG acquired a 40% interest in Caribbean Envelope Manufacturing Co. - now John Dickinson & Co (West Indies) of Trinidad

1976 Royal Sovereign Group of London and John Heath & Co Birmingham joined the group

1977 UK organisation changed to operating units becoming part of DRG (UK) Ltd

1978 John Dickinson & Company reformed into two independently managed units - John Dickinson Stationery & John Dickinson Paper & Board

1979 Remaining share capital of Papeteries de la Couronne SA and its associated companies was acquired. Home Park Mill closed

1980 Unprofitable paper-making activities closed and operations centred on fine and specialist paper and board production. Home Park site sold

1981 DRG Envelope and DRG Stationery established as separate market oriented businesses

1982 DRG Envelope Business rationalised from three sites to two. Commercial stationery and office products, wholesaling activities rationalised under John Heath banner nationwide

1983 Tottenham and Croxley sites sold. Disposal of South African and Zimbabwean operations

1985 Surplus land sold at Apsley

1986 Murfax Ltd acquired

1988 Apsley site amalgamation plan started to combine DRG Stationery and DRG Envelopes, build new warehouse and release 18 acres of land for the development of a retail park

1989 Roland Franklin (Pembridge Associates) acquired DRG

1990 DRG Stationery sold to Biber Holding AG of Switzerland. DRG Stationery changed its name back to John Dickinson Stationery Ltd

1992 Northern Distribution Centre opened at Manchester

1995 Kirkby sold

1996 David S. Smith (Holdings) plc acquired John Dickinson Stationery Ltd.

1999 John Dickinson leaves its home in Hemel Hempstead.
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