Purnell and Sons
A historic British printing and publishing company that grew from a Somerset family printer into a major producer of books, magazines, partworks and commercial print.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Purnell and Sons was a British printing and publishing company founded in 1839 by Charles Dando Purnell. It began as a small family printing business serving communities in Somerset, with early shops in Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Paulton. Over the following century, the company expanded from local printing into industrial-scale book, magazine and commercial production. Its development reflected the transformation of British print culture: traditional letterpress work was supplemented by lithography, gravure and web offset, while the company moved from local stationery and general printing toward mass-market illustrated publications. The business expanded substantially from the 1920s under the influence of Wilfred Harvey, who had originally joined as the firm's accountant. Letterpress capacity was added, and a lithography department was established in the late 1930s. In 1940, Purnell took control of the publisher MacDonald, strengthening its position in book publishing. During the post-war decades the company became known for producing large quantities of colour books, magazines and serialized partworks. Its publications were commonly distributed through newsagents in the United Kingdom and overseas, with new instalments released weekly or fortnightly. Purnell's partwork publishing was particularly prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. Notable series included Purnell's History of the Second World War, Knowledge, Discovering Art, The Masters, Man, Myth and Magic, Discovering Antiques, A History of the English Speaking Peoples and History of the Twentieth Century. These projects combined editorial content with industrial printing and distribution, allowing complex reference material to reach a mass audience in affordable instalments. The company reportedly printed hundreds of thousands of copies of some series, illustrating the scale of its operation. Its manufacturing base also became highly sophisticated. A purpose-built gravure plant was added in the early 1960s, using wide Cerutti presses and in-house support for pre-press and cylinder production through Bristol Photo Engraving. At its peak, the wider Purnell group employed approximately 2,000 people and operated one of Europe's largest print plants. In 1964 it merged with Hazell Sun to form the British Printing Corporation, placing Purnell within a much larger national printing group. The later history was marked by rationalisation, labour disputes, declining investment and technological change. After Robert Maxwell acquired control of the British Printing Corporation, substantial parts of the Paulton operation were closed or reduced, including the letterpress and ink departments in 1981. A lengthy dispute took place at the gravure plant in 1986, web offset production ended in 1989, and book production ceased in 1996. The plant continued printing high-volume newspaper supplements, catalogues, holiday brochures and magazines for several years, but its ageing equipment and wider restructuring of the British print industry weakened its position. A final major Cerutti press was installed in 2001, yet the works ultimately closed in December 2005, eliminating about 400 jobs. Purnell and Sons is therefore best understood as a defunct historic publishing and printing brand whose legacy lies in British mass-market reference publishing and the industrial development of Somerset printing.
History
Purnell and Sons originated in Somerset in 1839, when Charles Dando Purnell established a small family printing business. Its early premises included shops in Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Paulton. The company initially served local printing needs, but it gradually developed into a larger manufacturing and publishing enterprise as demand grew for newspapers, illustrated books, magazines and commercial printed matter. A major period of expansion began from the 1920s, associated particularly with Wilfred Harvey, who had first worked for the company as an accountant. Purnell expanded its equipment and capabilities, adding letterpress printing and later a lithography department in the late 1930s. In 1940, the company took control of MacDonald, a book publisher, linking its industrial printing capacity with a more substantial publishing operation. During the 1960s and 1970s Purnell became especially prominent for partwork publishing. Its series were issued in instalments through newsagents, generally on a weekly or fortnightly schedule, and covered history, art, mythology, antiques and general knowledge. Purnell's History of the Second World War, Knowledge, Discovering Art, The Masters, Man, Myth and Magic, Discovering Antiques, A History of the English Speaking Peoples and History of the Twentieth Century were among the best-known examples. Some series were printed in runs of hundreds of thousands, demonstrating the company's ability to coordinate editorial production, printing and mass distribution. The manufacturing side expanded in parallel. A purpose-built gravure factory was built in the early 1960s and equipped with Cerutti presses. Bristol Photo Engraving supported the operation by producing pre-press materials and printing cylinders in-house. At its height, Purnell employed around 2,000 people and was regarded as one of Europe's largest print plants. In 1964, the company merged with Hazell Sun to create the British Printing Corporation. The subsequent decades brought consolidation and decline. Robert Maxwell became associated with the ownership of the British Printing Corporation, and in 1981 the letterpress department and ink factory were closed while lithography was sharply reduced. These changes cost roughly 800 jobs. A five-month union dispute affected the gravure facility in 1986. Web offset production was closed in 1989, and book production ended in 1996. Despite the contraction, the Paulton gravure plant continued to produce substantial volumes of commercial material. Its work included colour supplements for newspapers such as The Observer and The Sunday Times, catalogues for retailers including IKEA and Argos, holiday brochures, and magazines such as Woman's Own, Radio Times and the original United Kingdom edition of Grazia. The operation continued to use wide web-fed Cerutti presses. A new 2.4-metre Cerutti press was installed in 2001, capable of printing large page counts at high speed and incorporating inline stitching. The investment was not sufficient to reverse the broader decline. The facility operated with increasingly old plant and equipment, while the wider Polestar group pursued a newer facility in Sheffield. Some Purnell employees moved to assist with the new operation, but the Paulton works finally closed in December 2005, with approximately 400 jobs lost. The company's history consequently spans the transition from local family printing to industrial mass publishing and, ultimately, the restructuring and decline of traditional large-scale British print manufacturing.
- 2005
Paulton works closes
[1]The Paulton print works closed in December, ending the company's historic Somerset industrial operation.
- 2001
Final major Cerutti press installed
[1]A new 2.4-metre Cerutti gravure press replaced an older machine and supported high-volume magazine and commercial production.
- 1996
Book production ends
[1]The company stopped producing books at the Paulton operation.
- 1989
Web offset department closes
[1]Purnell's web offset department was closed during the company's prolonged contraction.
- 1981
Major departmental closures
[1]The letterpress department and ink factory closed and the lithography operation was reduced, causing substantial job losses.
- 1966
Purnell's History of the Second World War launched
[1]The company printed the successful partwork series Purnell's History of the Second World War.
- 1964
Merger creates British Printing Corporation
[1]Purnell merged with Hazell Sun to form the British Printing Corporation.
- 1960
Purpose-built gravure plant added
[1]Purnell expanded its industrial capacity with a gravure factory equipped with wide Cerutti presses and in-house cylinder-production support.
- 1940
MacDonald comes under Purnell control
[1]Purnell took control of book publisher MacDonald, strengthening its publishing activities.
- 1920
Expansion under Wilfred Harvey's influence
[1]The company began a sustained expansion from the 1920s, with Wilfred Harvey playing an important role after starting at the firm as an accountant.
Products and positioning
Mass-market illustrated publishing combined with large-scale commercial printing, especially serialized reference works, colour books, magazines and high-volume gravure production.
Partwork history magazine · 1966
Purnell's History of the Second World War
A large-scale serialized history of the Second World War printed and distributed in instalments. The series exemplified Purnell's ability to combine editorial reference content, colour reproduction, periodic newsagent distribution and high-volume industrial printing.
General reference partwork · 1962
Knowledge
A mass-market general knowledge partwork issued through newsagents. Its publication model used regular instalments to make a broad reference work accessible to a large readership, with reported print runs reaching approximately 400,000 copies.
Art reference partwork · 1964
Discovering Art
A serialized art reference series covering artists and artworks in an illustrated, collectible format. It formed part of Purnell's expansion into visually rich educational and cultural publishing during the 1960s.
Cultural reference partwork · 1970
Man, Myth and Magic
A partwork series focused on mythology, belief, folklore and related cultural subjects. Like Purnell's other reference series, it was released periodically and designed for sale through newsagents.
Antiques reference partwork · 1970
Discovering Antiques
An illustrated serialized reference work devoted to antiques and collecting. It reflected Purnell's use of specialist subjects as accessible, recurring partwork content for a general audience.
Commercial printing service
Commercial gravure printing
Purnell's gravure plants produced glossy newspaper supplements, retail catalogues, holiday brochures and weekly magazines. Customers and publications associated with the operation included The Observer, The Sunday Times, IKEA, Argos, Cosmos Holidays, Woman's Own, Radio Times and the original United Kingdom edition of Grazia.
Controversies
1991
Robert Maxwell pension scandal
Purnell was part of the British Printing Corporation history during Robert Maxwell's ownership period. The later collapse of Maxwell's business empire and pension scandal affected pension arrangements associated with former employees of the printing operations.
Brand decisions
2005
Close the Paulton print worksStrategyBackground
The plant faced ageing equipment, limited investment and competition from newer facilities within the wider print industry.
Action taken
The Paulton works was closed in December, while some employees moved to support a newer Polestar facility in Sheffield.
Aftermath
Approximately 400 jobs were lost and the historic Purnell industrial operation ended.
2001
Install a final large Cerutti pressOtherBackground
The Paulton plant remained active in high-volume gravure printing despite broader underinvestment in plant and equipment.
Action taken
A 2.4-metre Cerutti press was installed to replace an older machine.
Aftermath
The press supported continued production for several years, but the investment did not prevent the eventual closure of the Paulton works.
1996
End book productionStrategyBackground
Purnell's publishing and printing activities had contracted after the closure of several departments and the decline of its historic integrated model.
Action taken
Book production at the operation was discontinued.
Aftermath
The business continued for a time with commercial gravure work, including magazines, catalogues and newspaper supplements, but no longer operated as a major book producer.
1981
Restructure and reduce traditional printing capacityStrategyBackground
Under Robert Maxwell's control of the British Printing Corporation, the Paulton operation faced pressure to reduce costs and rationalise older production departments.
Action taken
The letterpress department and ink factory were closed, while the lithography department was substantially reduced.
Aftermath
Approximately 800 jobs were lost and the site began a long decline from its former position as a major integrated print plant.
1964
Merge with Hazell SunM&ABackground
Purnell was operating at increasing industrial scale and participated in consolidation within the British printing sector.
Action taken
The company merged with Hazell Sun to form the British Printing Corporation.
Aftermath
Purnell became part of a much larger printing group, although later ownership and restructuring led to substantial reductions in its original manufacturing activities.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/purnell-and-sons · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled