In this week's Pride Gerry Brooke looks back at Mardon's printing and packaging.

MARDON’S, once a giant of the printing and packaging industry, started out in 1823 when John Price established a small printing and engraving business in the city.

In 1846, Price’s business partner John Harris invited his brother-in- law James Mardon to join the firm.

As Harris and Mardon, they set up shop in Broad Street producing headed notepaper, address cards and the like.

But the real money came rolling in when the firm started supplying papers to a large Kingswood pin factory run by Robert Charlton, and wrappers to the Redcliffe tobacco company Franklin, Davey and Company.

In 1849, after the company had bought two second-hand lithographic presses, they started mass-producing labels.

After Harris had retired, Mardon continued to build up the business, moving to larger premises in St Stephen’s Street and bringing in steam presses.

In the 1860s, the family firm – now with a brother-in-law on board – became known as Mardon, Son and Hall.

Within a few years a brand new, four-storey factory in Milk Street was producing cardboard boxes, the first in the city.

Ruled over by what we would now call “benevolent paternalism”, the company even allowed its staff a half- day holiday on Saturdays.

In 1888, Mardon’s started printing the packets for Will’s, then Bristol’s biggest tobacco producers.

It was the big commercial breakthrough the company needed.

A decade later, the firm was operating from two huge new factories – known as No.1 and No. 2 – in Temple Gate.

In 1902, in order to stop patentsfor packaging machines falling into American hands, Mardon’s became part of the giant Imperial Tobacco group.

By 1922, the company had 11 Bristol factories and by the Thirties, it was employing more than 5,000 people.

During World War II, Mardon’s was unlucky enough to lose 10 of its 13 factories, but the firm soon recovered and, with the hostilities ended, prospered as never before.

By 1979, it had 19 factories spread throughout the city.

But a decade later, Mardon’s was acquired by Canadian group Lawson, and within a few years the Bristol operation was run down and the massive Temple Gate site sold off.

Lawson Mardon Packaging – a much smaller operation – is today run from Warmley.