The Beginnings
Francis Allen of Norwich starts a basket-making business in 1746 that would be the start of our history.
Brush making, clogs and paper merchants
Samuel Deyns takes over the business in his own name and expands into brush making, paper, pattens and clogs.
A Page enters the building
Samuel Deyns Page, grandson of Samuel Deyns, is taken into partnership. The business is now known as Deyns and Page.
Three years after the death of his grandfather, Samuel Deyns Page names the business S D Page.
We're printers
Samuel Deyns Page had brought his son, also called Samuel Deyns Page, into the firm in 1831, adding ‘& Son’ to the company name. In 1839, letterpress printing is added to the product range.
Welcome 'Our' Frederick
S D Page & Son becomes S D Page & Sons, as Samuel Deyns Page (Junior) welcomes his two sons Frederick John Page and Charles Fountain Page to the business.
Growing rapidly
Due to growth, the premises at the Haymarket and Theatre Street in Norwich are rebuilt and extended.
Designated printing works
We’re renamed again to Page Brothers & Company – St Stephen’s Printing Works. We have our printing works built at St Stephen’s Back Street in Norwich and are officially letterpress and lithographic colour printers.
Bye-bye brush making
Frederick John Page and Charles Fountain Page dissolve the partnership.
Frederick will head up Page Brothers & Company and give his attention exclusively to the paper and printing trades.
Our most famous employee begins his apprenticeship
Alfred Munnings, later to become Sir Alfred Munnings, begins his seven-year apprenticeship as a lithographic poster artist. He goes on to become one of the country’s best known and well respected artists.
The name appears
Printing Firm registers as Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd.
Thanks for everything
Frederick John Page dies aged 89 and his son F S Deyns Page becomes Chairman and Managing Director.
Thanks for everything, Frederick.
Sold and bombed
The business leaves Page family ownership and is sold to a local timber products manufacturer, Boulton & Paul Ltd. F S Deyns Page remains as Chairman and Managing Director.
In the same year, the St Stephen’s printing works is destroyed during one of the blitz raids on Norwich. We move to makeshift premises just outside Norwich, before the move to our current site at Mile Cross Lane.
The last Page turned over
F S Deyns Page retires at the age of 81 and so becomes the last Page family member to be associated with the business.
Joining forces
1953 sees Page Bros sold to the Eden Fisher Group, making it part of one of the largest printing groups in the UK. This marks the beginning of 40 years of ownership outside Norfolk from Eden Fisher, to Harrison & Sons, to Lonrho plc.
Perfect perfector
We install our first litho perfector machine. Shortly after come the second and third. In due course all letterpress and hot metal systems are phased out.
Leading the way
Page Bros becomes one of the first companies to install computer-assisted composition and typesetting systems, with our own ‘Pageprint’ branding.
Back in local, private hands
The company is returned to private ownership as a team led by David Armstrong purchases the company from Lonrho plc. We go on to establish ourselves as a leading supplier of educational materials.
Wonderful world of colour
A new management team oversees our first venture into the world of colour print, with the installation of our first HP Indigo and Heidelberg colour presses.
Page Bros turns over a new leaf
2016 sees the company rebrand itself, with one eye very much on the future. We specialise in creation, fulfilment, and of course print and associated services.
We are Page Bros Group.
We evolve
A fundamental element of what makes Page Bros is our openness to change. While we excel at what we do, we’ve never been content to stand still. It’s part of our DNA, part of what it means to be Page Bros.
As we embark on the next leg of our amazing 275-year journey, Page Bros enters a new era under new ownership and leadership. With our wealth of experience behind us and vision fixed firmly on the future, we continue to broaden our service offering giving us routes into new markets.
