Page 22 - Jigsaw October 2021

A GLANCE AT THE PAST
Bookbinding to plastics on the Oundle Road
The picture above, said to be of Vase Press employees, was included in my December 2020 article and brought ten responses, each correcting the date to circa 1970 and the company name at that time to Woolnough & Co bookbinder.
Many names were given and include: Maria Lewis, Maureen Peacock, Janet Swales, Kathy Sawford, George Pope, Pete Bettles, Kath Sharrock, Ted Lewis, Betty Roberts, Janet Roberts, Mary White, Joyce Johnson, Janet Vertigan, Stan Gamble, Ethel Stone, Barbara Knight, Pauline Shipton, ‘Titch’ Freeman, Sue Peacock, Glynis Bettles, Margey Allen, Ricky Leeson, Gladys Templeman, Kevin Allen,
Dick Wood, Mrs Cope, David Houghton, Sally Diamond, Bev Harrison, Gordon Peck, Marion Butcher, Tony Hudson, Ivan Brown, Mick Boothe, Wynn ?, Alice Spencer and Rodney Pittonet. My grateful thanks to every respondent.
The Vase Press in Thrapston was started in 1917 by Edward Bond who moved to town to take charge of Tailor & Downs printing department, which at the time was
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in the High Street premises now occupied by Nenestore, previously T James & Son. When Mr Taylor decided to split his business, he
kept the newsagent’s shop, Mr Bond taking
the printing department. By 1922 business
was so great that they moved to Oundle Road where the company remained until 1951 when the premises were sold to Woolnough & Co bookbinders. The company used to bind books, mainly encyclopaedias’, bibles, dictionarys’
and other such weighty tomes. The printed sheets would come in to be folded, collated, sewn, covers made and perhaps gilded, from start to finish by hand. In the early 70’s the company was taken over by Weatherbys of Wellingborough and everything and everyone