I joined the Motion Picture Industry in 1962; at that time there were a large number of laboratories operating.  During recent training sessions I have been asked questions about British labs, so I thought I would try to list all the labs I knew of and their family trees.  I do not claim the list to be exhaustive or even 100% correct! 

Since I first posted this information I have been trawling through various Trade Directories and started on the Kinematograph Year Book. In the earliest directories I have looked at, there is no category for 'Cinematograph Films Printers' only 'Cinematograph Films Makers.'  The earliest I have looked at with the printers category is London Trades Directory 1915. This listed only one company Kinofilms Ltd, Cinematograph Printers, 6 Red Lion Sq WC1.

By 1922 nine companies were listed under Cinematograph Films Printers:

American Company (London) Ltd; 89-91 Wardour St - Studios and Laboratories Croydon

Central Film Printing Co Ltd; 6a Seaford St Harrison St WC1

Ensign (Agency) Ltd; 93-95 Wardour Street W1

Film Laboratories Ltd; 90 Wardour St W1

Kay Film Printing Co Ltd; 5 & 6 Red Lion Sq WC1

Kine Film Industries Ltd; 93 & 95 Wardour St W1

Positif Ltd; 4 Oxford St 7 99 Charlotte St W1

Titan Films; 90 Wardour St W1

Williamson Film Printing Co; 80-82 Wardour St W1

The earliest reference to Cinematography was in the London Trades Directory 1899 which has

J Sloper & Co of 20 King William St, EC offering perforating machines for cinematographic films.

 

 

If you have any information or corrections please let me know.

Please see list of contributors below.

My favourite company, which I found in the Kent Messenger Directory of Kent 1904, is

De'Ath and Dunk

  

 

 

 

 

If you would like an excel file of the lab listing  below  or the Timeline please send me

an e-mail and I will forward it to you.  If you would also like to be kept updated on

the listing just send me an e-mail. mailto:mail@brianpritchard.com

                                                                     

Some family trees of labs - please click on the thumbnail above.

Timeline of British Motion Picture Labs

NC = Name Change   KYB = Kine Year Book

Name of Laboratory	Date Opened	Date Closed	Notes	Operating Address		NAME Changes
Anglo-American Film Manufacturing Co	?	?	The Kinematograph and Lantern Weekly  July 15 1909	Voluntary Place, Wanstead, Essex
Alpha Trading Company	1908	?	Bioscope Sep 18 1908	St Albans
Alfa Photographic Laboratories			1951 Cornwell-Clyne - Colour Cinematography p 756	72 Wardour St, W1
American Company (London) Ltd	?	?	London Trades Directory 1915	Croydon
Ann Whitfield	?	?
Associated British Pathe Ltd	?	?	Kelly's Directory or Merchants, Manufacturers and Shippers 1951	142 - 150 Wardour St,
Automatic (Barnes1932)	1932	?	KYB 1936	Barnes, SW
Automatic Film Printers	1919		Bioscope 1928	Charles Street, Barnes, SW13
B & C Kinematograph Co	?	?	Bioscope 13 June 1912	Endell St
Brent Laboratories	1929	1986	KYB 1930	North Circular Road, Cricklewood, NW2		Topical Film Co
British Filmcraft Productions Ltd	1927	?	Bioscope 1928	Walthamstow
British Screen Productions Ltd	?	1928	Bioscope 1928	Warton Hall Studios		Taken over by Automatic Film Printers
British Talking Pictures	?	?	Bioscope 1928	Wembley
British Thompson-Houston	1938		Kinematograph Weekly 1938	Rugby
Buck Laboratories	1980	In Business		714-715 Banbury Avenue, Slough, Berks SL1
Central Film Printing Co Ltd	?	?	PO Trades Directory 1920	6a Seaford St, Harrison St W1
Central Film Service	?	?	KYB 1925	80-82 Wardour St W1
Charles Urban Trading Co Ltd	?	?	The Kinematograph and Lantern Weekly 1909	Urbanora House, Wardour Street W
Chromatic Film Printers			KYB 1925	Ansell St Kensington, W8
Cine Reproductions	1961	Company Dissolved 2001	From Can label	581 London Road, Isleworth TW7 4EJ
Cinechrome Film Printers	?	?	KYB 1925	16 Garrick St, W1
Cinecolor (GB) Ltd	?	?	Kelly's Directory 1951	Weston Rd & 44 Bradford Rd Slough
Cinet Ltd	?	?	British Film & Television Year Book 1959	283 Lonsdale Road SW13
Colour Film Services	?	2005		Wadsworth Close, Perivale, Middlesex
Colour Film Services Cardiff	?	?
Colour Kinematograph Co	1910	?	Kelly's P O Directory 1912	Urbanora House, 80-82 Wardour St
Colour Technique	?	2001		Gerrards Cross
Colourtone	?	?		Chalfont
Commercial Films	?	?	KYB 1936	Furze Hill Rd, Elstree
County Film Co			KYB 1917	9 Gt Newport St, W
Deluxe	NC 1996	In Business		North Orbital Rd Denham Middlesex		Denham Laboratories, Rank Film Laboratories
Denham Laboratories Ltd	1935	NC	KYB 1940			Rank Film Laboratories, Deluxe
Dufay-Chromex	1937	?		Rythe Works, Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey
Dunning Process (England)	?	?	KYB 1936	71-77 Whitfield St & North Court
Duncan Laboratory	?	?	Bioscope Mar 4 1909
Elstree Laboratories	?	?	KYB 1940	BIP Labs Borehamwood, Herts
Ensign (Agency) Ltd	?	?	PO Trades Directory 1920	1 & 2 Warwick St W1
Film and Photo Design (West London) Ltd	1966	1990		13 Colville Road		Film and Photo
Film & Photo	1990	In Business		13 Colville Road		Film and Photo Design (West London) Ltd
Film Lab North	1968	In Business		96 Kirkstall Road, Leeds		Humphries Film Laboratories, Rank Film Laboratories
Film Laboratories Ltd	?	?	KYB 1918	90 Wardour St
Filmatic Laboratories Ltd	NC 1955	NC 1996	Companies House	19 Colville Road W11		Sub Standard Film Finishers, Todd-AO
Film Makers Cooperative
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