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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: David E on July 15, 2012, 03:27:33 PM

Title: Glassmaker - UPC Ltd in Hendon, London. Any info?
Post by: David E on July 15, 2012, 03:27:33 PM

Has anyone got details of a glassmaker named UPC Ltd that was based at Kingsbury Works, Kingsbury Road, Hendon, London NW9? It was an active company c.1950, but a search does not reveal anything more.

Can anyone help with some more detail?

Title: Re: Glassmaker - UPC Ltd in Hendon, London. Any info?
Post by: johnphilip on July 16, 2012, 02:53:39 PM

Hi David i am an old Hendonian!!! very old , the address you have given is strange  NW9 was on the borders of West Hendon Colindale and Kingsbury , i know the site but cant remember that company , most of Hendon had the NW4 post code and i always thought of that site as Colindale or Kingsbury both NW9 , there you go another piece of useless information . Sounds like a window company .????

Title: Re: Glassmaker - UPC Ltd in Hendon, London. Any info?
Post by: David E on July 16, 2012, 04:40:55 PM

Thanks JP. The company had a design registration for an ashtray in 1952, but I am trying to determine whether it is actually a glassmaker, or a company that factored the manufacture out. Perhaps this might help?

Title: Re: Glassmaker - UPC Ltd in Hendon, London. Any info?
Post by: Lustrousstone on July 16, 2012, 05:45:03 PM

I think they were cigarette vendors or manufacturers of cigarette vending machines; scroll down to 9
http://www.patentmaps.com/assignee/U_P_C_1.html

Title: Re: Glassmaker - UPC Ltd in Hendon, London. Any info?
Post by: neilh on July 17, 2012, 09:56:45 PM

According to this...

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hxZHAQAAIAAJ&q=%22universal+publicity+contractors%22&dq=%22universal+publicity+contractors%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=p94FUIW7Bc30sgbZ2YyEBw&redir_esc=y

UPC stands for Universal Publicity Contractors, glass decorators. In the 1920s and 1930s at the same address there was a firm called "Glass Decorators Ltd" and "Vitramark Ltd" - though one can't be sure they were connected as the Kingsbury Works hosted many small firms that came and went. There was an advertising paperweight for Universal Publicity Contractors sold on eBay some time ago.

Title: Re: Glassmaker - UPC Ltd in Hendon, London. Any info?
Post by: David E on July 21, 2012, 10:29:04 PM

Thanks all, and apologies for not replying sooner as I've been away at Auntie Max's.

This is all very interesting and leads me to suspect they probably designed the glass ashtray but it was actually manufactured elsewhere. It seems the company was involved in many tobacco related products.