page_title: John Dickinson Stationery
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: John Dickinson Stationery / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Pedestrian Footbridge at Apsley View from the 4th floor of Hemel Hempstead´s Express by Holiday Inn
context_page_description: John Dickinson Stationery Limited was a leading English stationery company founded in southwest Hertfordshire. In the 19th century, the company pioneered a number of innovations in papermaking. It became part of Dickinson Robinson Group in 1966; after changes of ownership, the John Dickinson brand ceased to be used in 2008.
context_section_description: John Dickinson began his business life as a stationer in the City of London in 1804. But around 1802 he had already started to experiment with papermaking machinery and obtained a first patent for cutting paper in 1807. Two years later Dickinson patented a new continuous mechanized papermaking process. In the same year he gained financial backing from George Longman, whose family controlled the Longman publishing firm, and formed a new company, called Longman & Dickinson. In addition a considerable sum of money was borrowed from the printer and MP Andrew Strahan (1749–1831).
  Dickinson bought his first paper mill at Apsley, Hertfordshire (a former flour mill) in 1809, and a second nearby (Nash Mill, formerly a mediaeval corn-mill) in 1811; both were powered by water from the River Gade, and were close to the Grand Junction Canal (built in the 1790s and now part of the Grand Union Canal) which provided transport for materials and product. Between 1828 and 1830 he built a third mill at Croxley, also on the canal.
  The mill-house at Nash Mill, called Nash House, became the family home for Dickinson and his new wife Ann (née Grover), whose father Harry Grover supported this business development through his Hemel Hempstead Bank (now part of Lloyds Bank) in Hemel Hempstead. Soon Nash Mills was renowned for its production of tough thin paper for Samuel Bagster's "Pocket Reference Bible". A major fire in 1813 was a setback, but, being covered by insurance, enabled redevelopment towards large scale production.
  During the 19th century, Sir John Evans and his son Lewis Evans (whose elder brother was the archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans) both managed the company. After John Evens had given up his partnership in the company in 1885, it was formally incorporated as John Dickinson & Co. Limited the following year, with a capital of £500,000. At the same time the company started to concentrate more on the stationery side of the business, since papermaking was no longer profitable. The Apsley plant was reconstructed and concentrated on making envelopes, while paper production was transferred to the more modern Croxley Mill.
  John Dickinson & Co. Ltd had their Engineering Department at Nash Mills until 1888, when it was transferred to Apsley Mill. By the end of the nineteenth century, Nash Mill, which was small and had a reputation for independence, experienced a drop in profitability.  Continuous minor changes were implemented until, in 1926 it underwent improvements with expansion, remodelling and refurbishment.  The Lion Brand was adopted as the company logo in 1910. Subsidiaries were then formed in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere (thirteen countries in all).
caption: Dickinson's former Apsley Mills, now redeveloped as a residential site
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