Collection GB 0074 B/WHF - WHIFFEN AND SONS LIMITED {MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS}

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0074 B/WHF

Title

WHIFFEN AND SONS LIMITED {MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS}

Date(s)

  • 1752-1972 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

8.46 linear metres

Context area

Name of creator

Whiffen and Son Ltd , manufacturing chemists St Amand Manufacturing Co Ltd

Biographical history

In 1854 a London pharmacist, Thomas Whiffen (1819-1904), joined a small firm manufacturing chemicals run by Edward Herring and Jacob Hulle at Trinity Square in the Borough. After the withdrawal of Herring in 1858 and the retirement of Hulle in 1868 the business was continued by Whiffen at his house in Lombard Road, Battersea. Chief products were of medical application, including poisons and alkaloido, mostly prepared from raw material that the firm imported. Whiffen claimed his trade in strychnine to have been the first of its kind in Britain. Overseas trading, including much re-exporting, became an important part of the firm's activity. A short-lived laboratory was set up in 1858 and was re-established by Frank Moul in 1884.

In 1887 Whiffen formed a partnership with two of his sons, Thomas Joseph (1850-1931) and William George (1852-1934). In the same years the firm moved to Southall, where it acquired the Aldersgate Chemical Works, and it also took over the business of George Atkinson (est. 1654). Another concern with which Whiffen was associated was the St Amand Manufacturing Co. Ltd, which had been set up jointly with T and H Smith and JF Macfarlan and Co for the preliminary processing in Belgium of an extract used as a source of salicin.

By the 1890's Whiffen and Sons had become one of Britain's leading fire chemical businesses. It became a limited company in 1912 with a nominal capital of £200,000. In 1947 it was acquired by Fisons Ltd.

Repository

The London Archives

Archival history

GB 0074 B/WHF 1752-1972 Collection 8.46 linear metres Whiffen and Son Ltd , manufacturing chemists
St Amand Manufacturing Co Ltd

In 1854 a London pharmacist, Thomas Whiffen (1819-1904), joined a small firm manufacturing chemicals run by Edward Herring and Jacob Hulle at Trinity Square in the Borough. After the withdrawal of Herring in 1858 and the retirement of Hulle in 1868 the business was continued by Whiffen at his house in Lombard Road, Battersea. Chief products were of medical application, including poisons and alkaloido, mostly prepared from raw material that the firm imported. Whiffen claimed his trade in strychnine to have been the first of its kind in Britain. Overseas trading, including much re-exporting, became an important part of the firm's activity. A short-lived laboratory was set up in 1858 and was re-established by Frank Moul in 1884.

In 1887 Whiffen formed a partnership with two of his sons, Thomas Joseph (1850-1931) and William George (1852-1934). In the same years the firm moved to Southall, where it acquired the Aldersgate Chemical Works, and it also took over the business of George Atkinson (est. 1654). Another concern with which Whiffen was associated was the St Amand Manufacturing Co. Ltd, which had been set up jointly with T and H Smith and JF Macfarlan and Co for the preliminary processing in Belgium of an extract used as a source of salicin.

By the 1890's Whiffen and Sons had become one of Britain's leading fire chemical businesses. It became a limited company in 1912 with a nominal capital of £200,000. In 1947 it was acquired by Fisons Ltd.

Deposited in several accessions in 1958 and 1979 (AC/58/080; AC/79/020; AC/79/001).

Records of Whiffen and Son Ltd, manufacturing chemists, 1752-1972, including history of the company; articles of partnership and other contracts and agreements; legal documents relating to property; correspondence; circulars; financial accounts; papers relating to shares and shareholders; stock records; newspaper cuttings; photographs; staff wages books and pensions papers; records relating to staff associations and sports clubs including minute books; reports on chemical manufacture, laboratory notebooks and chemical analyses; papers relating to sales; papers relating to imports and foreign suppliers; advertisements; registers of product labels; samples of packaging; rules, regulations and legislation regarding factories and safety measures; papers regarding the Second World War including war damage to factories and papers relating to staff on active duty.

Also records of Saint Amand Manufacturing Company Limited including ledgers, letter books and journals.

In 3 sections: Corporate, financial and production records; Supply records; Printed material.

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Copyright rests with the depositor.
English

Fit

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Additional records of Whiffen and Sons Ltd are deposited in the library of the Wellcome Institute.

Rupert S. Law, The end of the chapter : the story of Whiffen & Sons Limited, fire chemical manufacturers (Fisons : 1922)

John Graham Smith (ed.) Archives of the British Chemical Industry, 1750-1914 : a handlist (British soc. For the History of Science : 1988) {library 60.43 MOR} 

 Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.  July to October 2009 Industrial plants Public administration Health services administration Organization and administration Personnel management International conflicts War War damage Scientific personnel Scientists Chemists Industrial chemists Finance Investment Financial markets Share dealing Communication process Advertising Facilities Advertisements Industrial facilities Chemical works Articles of partnership Legislation Business records Industry legislation Sales Trade (practice) Trade International trade Financial records Imports Industry Government Manufacturing industry Chemical industry Packaging Labels Law Legal documents Labour relations Trade unions Staff associations Notebooks Laboratory notebooks Information sources Documents Deeds Wars (events) World wars (events) World War Two (1939-1945) Business partnerships Business enterprises Enterprises Pensions Social security Social services Company archives Chemical research Chemical analysis St Amand Manufacturing Co Ltd , salicin processing factory Whiffen and Son Ltd , manufacturing chemists Personnel People by occupation People

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Deposited in several accessions in 1958 and 1979 (AC/58/080; AC/79/020; AC/79/001).

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Records of Whiffen and Son Ltd, manufacturing chemists, 1752-1972, including history of the company; articles of partnership and other contracts and agreements; legal documents relating to property; correspondence; circulars; financial accounts; papers relating to shares and shareholders; stock records; newspaper cuttings; photographs; staff wages books and pensions papers; records relating to staff associations and sports clubs including minute books; reports on chemical manufacture, laboratory notebooks and chemical analyses; papers relating to sales; papers relating to imports and foreign suppliers; advertisements; registers of product labels; samples of packaging; rules, regulations and legislation regarding factories and safety measures; papers regarding the Second World War including war damage to factories and papers relating to staff on active duty.

Also records of Saint Amand Manufacturing Company Limited including ledgers, letter books and journals.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

In 3 sections: Corporate, financial and production records; Supply records; Printed material.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright rests with the depositor.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Additional records of Whiffen and Sons Ltd are deposited in the library of the Wellcome Institute.

Finding aids

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

London Metropolitan Archives

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area