More information : The site of a substantial printing works built for the Bell Punch and Printing Company at Number 2-6 Clere Street in 1889. The original factory site was destroyed by fire in 1894 and was rebuilt (now demolished). At the same time in 1895-6 the site was expanded and an additional block of offices, workshops and storerooms was built on the site of earlier houses at Number 52-58 Tabernacle Street. Number 52-58 Tabernacle Street was raised a storey in 1914 and then in 1922 the whole of the Bell Punch Site was taken over by Ardath Tobacco who carried out alterations to it in 1926. In 1929 the buildings were taken over again and altered by the gramophone makers A. J. Balcombe Ltd who stayed there until the 1950s. The rear of the Number 52-58 Tabernacle Street was damaged by fire in 1962, which may be the date for the loss of the Clere Street factory site. In the late 20th century Number 52-58 Tabernacle Street was refurbished, a mansarded attic was added and it was converted into office space.
The rebuilt 1894 two storey factory (over basements) at Number 2-6 Clere Street was an impressive building and was nine bays wide. The ground floor contained machinery to print the tickets which were sorted, cut and stapled on the premises.
The block at Number 52-58 Tabernacle Street originally had four storeys over a basement but was raised by a storey in 1914 and a mansarded attic was added in the late 20th century. The five-bay stock brick façade has red and black granite piers to the ground floor, a fascia band and a slight brick cornice. They upper floors have brick piers of two-storeys and one-storey rising to a stepped brick cornice and topped by brick pediments. The first and second floors have paired sash windows with segmental brick heads, square colonnettes and springer blocks. A short brick-faced extension with segmental headed windows now rises above the cornice and there is a tiled mansard roof with attic lights behind. There was a lightwell at the rear of the building and access to the main factory was through one party wall opening with double-iron doors.
The Bell Punch and Printing Company manufactured ticket machines and printed tickets for the London General Omnibus Company. After their main factory at 2-6 Clere Street was destroyed in the 1894 fire which swept through Tabernacle Street they moved to temporary premises in Charterhouse Square whilst their factory was rebuilt by Jarvis. At the same time the company expanded purchasing the houses at Platina Street and Tabernacle Street and rebuilding them as additional office, storage and workshop space. Number 52-58 Tabernacle Street was raised by a storey in 1914. This alteration was designed by the architect Maurice B Adams and built by Killby & Gayford. The Bell Punch & Printing Co continued to occupy the site until 1922 when they moved to another factory site in Uxbridge and the premises were taken over by the firm Ardath Tobacco. The premises were subsequently occupied by the gramophone manufacturers A. J. Balcome Ltd and then by Alba Electronics. A fire in 1962 may have led to the loss of the Clere Street factory site. (1)
National Grid Reference TQ3290382279 (centroid of the object) identified by digital ordnance survey mapping. (2) |