Negretti and Zambra: Additional Notes

Note: This is a sub-section of Negretti and Zambra

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Negretti & Zambra errata.

Henry Negretti & Joseph Zambra form partnership 24th April 1850 at No. 11 Hatton Garden, London.

38 Holborn Viaduct, built specially for Negretti & Zambra, occupied 6th November 1869 until 11th May 1941 when premises destroyed by enemy incendiaries.

122 Regent Street, London, purchased in 1862 from John Newman, becomes Head Office.

Half Moon Works, Barnsbury, site purchased in 1901 from telescope and surveying equipment maker, Captain Hammersley. New factory built and occupied from 1911 until 1966.

Stocklake, Aylesbury premises purchased in 1949 following post war policy to move manufacturing processes from London to New Towns. A new factory and Office complex are built on the site. Move of all effects takes until 1966 with the closing of Half Moon Works, 122 Regent Street Head Office and Aviation Division in Chobham, Surrey.

Negretti & Zambra (Environmental) was only a convenience trading name to separate identity of the older Meteorological Products from the Industrial Products.

Optical and photographic equipment were not the company’s core products but it seems that many seem to think that they were. The Encyclopaedic Catalogue of 1886 contains far more products that the company could have possibly manufactured and probably at least fifty percent were factored.

Meggitt sold Negretti & Zambra Ltd. (Then trading as Negretti Automation Ltd.) to a holding company called Tuncove Ltd. in 1992. The premises were moved to a site in the Bicester Road in Aylesbury. The Stocklake site is eventually demolished.

Negretti Automation applies for a CVA in 2000 which is refused by the creditors and the company goes into liquidation. However, just before this occurred the name Negretti Automation was changed to Zambra Ltd. and vice versa. Zambra Ltd. was a sleeping company that had existed for many years. Thus, the name Negretti Automation could be used if required in the future without the taint of liquidation. The name now appears to be owned by Procon Ltd. of Sevenoaks, Kent.

Below is a list of premises occupied by the company.

NEGRETTI & ZAMBRA PREMISES OCCUPIED AND DATES (Address / Opened / Closed / Remarks)

• Aylesbury - Stocklake, 1949 / 1993
• Aylesbury - Bicester Road / 1993 / April 2000 / Head Office and manufacturing
• Ceramic Court, Crystal Palace, Sydenham / 1854 / 1899 Photographic Studio & showroom. Opened by Queen Victoria.
• 2 Charterhouse Street / Poss side entrance of Holborn Viaduct
• 45 Cornhill, London EC / 1872 / 1919 / Also brief period late 1850’s
• 59 Cornhill, London EC / 1860 / 1872
• 68 Cornhill, London EC / 21.7.1857 / 7-9.5.1859 / Moved to 1 Hatton Garden.
• 153 Fleet Street, London, EC. / 1865 June/July 1873
• 1 Hatton Garden / April 1859 / June 1867 / Moved to 103 Hatton Garden
• 9 Hatton Garden / 1848 / 1850 / Enrico Negretti & Mr Pizzala from Leather Lane.
• 11 Hatton Garden / 24.4.1850 / April 1859 / Enrico Negretti & J. W. Zambra partnership formed.
• 103 Hatton Garden / 18.6.1867 / 1869/70 / Temporary premises. Move to 38 HolbornViaduct
• 107 Holborn Hill. This is 1 Hatton Garden corner premises.
• Half Moon Works, London, N.1. / 1901 (Hammersly’s) New works 1911 (December?) 8.3.1966
• 38 Holborn Viaduct London, EC. 6.11.1869 (sat) 10/11 May 1941 Holborn Viaduct opened by Queen Victoria.
• 5 Leadenhall Street, London EC. 1919 o r1921 1925
• 19 Leather Lane / 1843 / 1848 / Enrico Negretti & Mr. Pizzala
• 122 Regent Street, London, W.1. / 1862 / 1965 / Original premises of J. Newman bought in 1862.

This is by no means all of premises ever occupied viz – U.K. London 133 Regent Street, 15 New Bond Street, 15C Clifford Street, Gordon House Road Kentish Town, Other UK- Chobham, Chesterfield, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Overseas:-Canada, Australia, South Africa, Holland, Germany.

LIST OF COMPANIES ASSOCIATED WITH NEGRETTI & ZAMBRA (P = PURCHASED, A = AGENT FOR)

METEOROLOGICAL

• SHORT & MASON (P)
• WILSON & WARDEN (P)
• T. W. WHEELER (P)

INDUSTRIAL & AVIATION

• CAMILLE BAUER SWITZERLAND (A) (INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTS & CONTROLS)
• EUGENE BOURDON PARIS (A) (EARLY PRESSURE GAUGES)
• FISHER CONTROLS WEIGHING DIVISION (P) (INDUSTRIAL WEIGHING SYSTEMS & LOAD CELLS)
• HAGAN CONTROLS USA (A) (INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTS & CONTROLS)
• MECI FRANCE (A) (INDUSTRIAL CHART RECORDERS)
• MECHANISM LTD (P) (AVIATION INSTRUMENTATION) RENAMED NEGRETTI & ZAMBRA AVIATION
• PROCESS SYSTEMS INC USA (A) (DYEWARE COMPUTER CONTROLS)
• ROTHEROE & MITCHELL (P) (AIR SAMPLING FOR HEALTH & SAFETY)
• SONDES PLACE RESEARCH INSTITUE (SPRI) (P) (RUBBER & POLYMER TEST EQUIPMENT)
• WESTINGHOUSE USA (A) (INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTS & CONTROLS)
• WILLIAMSON MFG CO. LTD. (P) (AERIAL CAMERAS, FILM PROCESSING EQUIPMENT)

MISCELLANEOUS

• S.C. HOWARD (P) (SPECTACLE FRAME MAKERS)
• VISUAL ENGINEERS LTD (P) (CLOSED CIRCUIT TV FOR INTERNAL PIPE WELD INSPECTION)

N&Z PURCHASED BY

• WESTERN SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS - 1981
• MEGGITT PLC - 1985
• TUNCOVE LTD. – 1992

Negretti & Zambra sold the products of many companies during the years of their existence, most of whom are lost to the memory of the author. A huge source of historical information is in the 1886 personal copy of the Encyclopaedic catalogue belonging to Marcus (Mark) Zambra Junior. The pages were supplemented by pasted-in copies of catalogues by suppliers and with numerous notes added by Mark Zambra. This publication is now held by Philip Collins, proprietor of Barometer World, Merton, Okehampton, Devon. It may be available for inspection by callers.

The Great Grandsons of Henry Negretti are now deceased. Former Chairman, Paul Anthony (Tony) Negretti died in 2000 and his brother, Managing Director, Peter Noel Negretti died in 2010.

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