BRITAINS 1845 – PRESENT DAY

Founded by William B Britain who, as a young engineer left Birmingham in 1845 and set up a home-based factory at 28 Lampton Road, Hornsey, London where he made mechanical toys.

The firm is principally known for its hollow cast model soldiers and farm animals however before the soldiers, patents were taken out in 1886 and 1888 based on spinning principles and inertia flywheel. One such toy, the Equestrienne is represented in the collection.

The firm continues today trading as Britains Petite, part of the Dobson Industries Group.

BRIMTOY 1914-1932
See Wells-Brimtoy

CHAD VALLEY CO LTD 1823-1980
Originally a small bookbinding and printing firm, it moved to the village of Harborne near Birmingham in 1897 the new factory being sited by a stream called The Chad and eventually in 1919 the name Chad Valley was adopted.

Chad Valley became part of the Barclay Toy Group in 1972. In 1978 it was acquired by Pailitoy. In 1987 the trade name Chad Valley was bought by the United Overseas Group who in 1989 sold it to Woolworth’s.

DUNBEE COMBEX MARX
Became the world’s largest manufacturers of toys taking over Schuco, Marx and Lines Bros but went bankrupt in 1980.

HORNBY TRAINS
See Meccano

LINES BROS LTD – TRI-ANG TOYS 1919-1983
Dating back to the 1870’s, Lines Bros Ltd at one time was the largest and most up to date toy factory in the world when the company bought 47 acres of land at Merton, near Wimbledon, once belonging to Lord Nelson and left to his widow Lady Hamilton. They opened their factory in 1925.

In 1930 the company obtained the concession to sell the FROG (Flies Right Off Ground) aeroplanes, made by the Birmingham firm, International Model Aircraft and in 1932 took over the firm itself. Pedigree Soft Toys, another subsidiary was founded and the company began producing a range of small pocket-money clockwork cars, the Minic series, which children could collect like postage stamps.

At the outbreak of war in 1945, the factory employed 2000 people. The firm manufactured a staggering range of war material the most famous invention of which was the ‘Sten’ Gun.

Lines Bros went on to acquire Meccano in 1964 and the Hornby name was gradually phased out to be replaced by Meccano-Triang.

In 1931 the firm acquired a major shareholding in Hamleys of Regent Street however with the death of founder Walter Lines in 1972, the vast Lines Group of Companies lost direction. Hamleys was bought by Debenhams, Meccano Ltd sold to Airfix Industries, Rovex, Hornby and Triang Trains to Dunbee-Combex. In 1983 a Manchester firm Sharnaware Ltd bought the Triang trade name and are manufacturing toys under the label Sharna-Triang.

MARX, LOUIS, & CO LTD 1932-1967
An American firm which ran an English subsidiary company from 1932 to 1967. Louis Marx was born in New York in 1896 and was one of the outstanding toy men of the 20th Century.

In 1932 the company bought a factory in the Midlands, Waddans Pool Works, Dudley, Worcestershire and later in Swansea, Glamorganshire. In 1967 Marx’s UK interests were acquired by Dunbee-Combex.

MECCANO LTD 1901 – THE PRESENT DAY
Founded by Frank Hornby who in 1901 took out patents for ‘Mechanics Made Easy’ after designing and building a toy crane for his two sons which could be bolted together and later dismantled. The trade name of Meccano was registered in 1907 and Meccano Ltd formed as a company in 1908. In 1914 the company opened a brand new factory at Binns Road, Liverpool where production seemed to continue without interruption throughout World War 1.

IN 1920, 0 gauge Hornby Trains were introduced however by the end of the 1950’s, Mecccano Ltd’s Hornby Dublo Trains faced overwhelming competition from Triang, with their two rail 00 gauge system.

Finally in 1964 Lines Group bought the company and the company name was changed to Meccano-Triang Ltd. When the Lines Group itself was forced into liquidation in 1971, all assets were transferred to a new company called Maoford Ltd. Renamed Meccano Ltd the company was sold on to Airfix Industries Ltd and meanwhile the name ‘Hornby’ was acquired by Dunbee Combex Ltd. In 1981, UK production of Meccano ceased. Meccano products are currently being manufactured in France.

METTOY CO LTD. 1933-1983
The company was founded in 1933 when Phillip Ullmann of Bechmann & Ullmann, one of the premier tin toy manufacturers of Nuremberg, arrived in England with Arthur Katz, as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

In the 1930’s the company made clockwork lorries and aircraft, many of them for the Marks and Spencer’s stores.

In 1948 the company began production of a line of mass produced car models made with zinc-alloy die-cast. The brand name ‘Corgi’ was suggested by the Queen’s prdeicliton for Corgi dogs.

By 1982 Mettoy was in financial trouble and in November 1983 a Receiver was appointed. In 1984 several former employees started a new company, Corgi Sales Ltd to make a range of up-to-date die cast models.

MINIC CARS
See Lines Brothers Ltd

MOBO
See Sebel, D & C & Co.Ltd.

PRESTYN TOYS LTD 1949
Lanfranc Road, Bow, London
Manufacturer of metal toys including a clockwork aerotower.

SEBEL, D & CO LTD. 1920-1972
West Street, Erith, Kent.
In 1955 the company produced a series of toys under the name of Mobo, one of which is represented in the collection.

SUTCLIFFE PRESSING LTD 1885 – 1982
Atlas Works. Horsforth, Leeds.
The firm as founded by J William Sutcliffe which from 1903 was best known for its production of engineers oil cans.

Today it is better known for its toy boats which it started to produce after World War 1.

WELLS & CO 1923
Made aircraft, cars, buses in tinplate. Took over Brimtoy to form Wells-Brimtoy in 1932.

This site is in the course of continuing development.