Purnell and Sons
Encyclopedia
Purnell and Sons was a small family printer based in Somerset
which merged with other printers to become a large national publisher.
, Midsomer Norton
and Paulton
.
It became a major publisher of bibles and at its peak employed 2,000 people before it merged with Hazell Sun to form the British Printing Corporation
in 1964.
The print works in Paulton
closed in December 2005 with the loss of 400 jobs.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
which merged with other printers to become a large national publisher.
History
The Company was founded by Charles Dando Purnell in 1839 as a small family printers with small print shops in RadstockRadstock
Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...
, Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
and Paulton
Paulton
Paulton is a large village and civil parish, with a population of 4,896, located to the north of the Mendip Hills, in the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset , England....
.
It became a major publisher of bibles and at its peak employed 2,000 people before it merged with Hazell Sun to form the British Printing Corporation
Maxwell Communications Corporation
Maxwell Communications Corporation plc was a leading British media business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
in 1964.
The print works in Paulton
Paulton
Paulton is a large village and civil parish, with a population of 4,896, located to the north of the Mendip Hills, in the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset , England....
closed in December 2005 with the loss of 400 jobs.
Further reading
- Goodman, Terry The History of Purnell & Sons Ltd. and the British Printing Corporation, Published by Terry Goodman, 2004 ISBN 9780954724108