Monument record 0950700000 - Hazell, Watson & Viney Ltd, Tring Road

In 1867 Hazell, Watson & Viney Ltd moved from London, first opening a country branch at California (see CAS 08043), then moving to the Tring Road site. Extensions were built in 1885, 1895, 1906, 1907 and 1911, establishing the company as Aylesbury's premier undertaking. In 1920, 1926, 1933 and 1935 further additions and enlargements occurred, followed by club premises and a theatre in 1936, and a new factory in 1937 (B1).
Where the High Street becomes Tring Road beyond the Walton Road and Park Street junction, the printing works of Hazell, Watson and Viney was built in 1878; its distinctive corner cupola and tall chimney were landmarks in the area. The junction was soon known as Hazell's corner. Hazell's corner is now a major roundabout, with a Tesco's on the left and the printing works replaced by the 1990s Wynn-Jones centre, a collection of tyre-fitters and other industrial brick sheds (B2).
Until the coming of Messrs. Hazell and Watson, printers of Hatton Garden, London, in 1867, Aylesbury had virtually no manufacturing industry. In that year Hazell's set up a country branch at California, Aylesbury, in premises which later became the ink works (see CAS 08043). The firm, then being Hazell, Watson & Viney, moved into their new factory, a four-storey building in Tring Road, in 1878. The company expanded in the same area in the century following its opening (B3).
Hazell, Watson & Viney Limited; head office, 44 Great Queen Street, London WC2; letterpress printers, electro & stereo typers & book-binders, Tring Road; book-binding works, Bicester Road; hostel, 129 Tring Road. Hazell's Club, Britannia St; Hazell's Sports Ground, Eagles Rd (B4).
The London printers Hazell & Watson established a branch works at Aylesbury in 1867. The buildings on the corner of Tring Road and Walton Road were commenced in 1879. By 1897 the firm employed 500 people. By 1920 the business had expanded rapidly (B5).
The firm was the largest employer in Aylesbury for nearly a century, and was founded in London in 1839, opened a branch in Aylesbury at California (just south of the station - see CAS 08043) in 1867 and moved to the Tring Road site eleven years later. Hazell's built houses in Walton Way for their employees in 1920 (B6).
OS 6" First Edition, 1876-1886, 'Printing Works' labelled south of Tring Road, small building. OS 6" 2nd Edition, 1900, 'Printing Works' labelled south of Tring Road, larger building. OS 6" 1919-1927 Edition, 'Printing Works' labelled to include buildings north of Tring Road. Same layout of buildings with a few changes but not labelled as printing works on OS 6" Emergency Edition, 1938; OS 6" Provisional Edition, 1955-62; NG 6" Provisional Edition Revised, 1964-70. NG 10k Edition 1972-90 labelled 'Works' for buildings both side of Tring Road. NG 10k Edition Revised 1983-96, labelled 'Works' for buildings on north side of Tring Road and buildings to the south have been reduced or replaced (B7).
Historic photographs held by Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society and put online by the Centre for Buckinghamshrie Studies and Buckinghamshire County Museum show the demolition of the main Tring Road factory in 1984. There are also general views of the factory from its construction as 'New Works' in 1878 until this demolition. Now all that's left is a mosaic of the factory name, photographed in 1993 and two gate lodges (B8).
‘Hazells at War’ began with production of instruction books for tanks, then more and more printing of the highest priority. Also production of containers for shells and rockets. The Tring Road premises opened a new dept to produce many hundreds of thousands of strawboard containers for anti-aircraft shells and Naval rockets. Then in 1941 a light engineering plant was set up for producing parts for aeroplanes, tanks, etc. By 1942 printing contracts for HM Stationary required night shifts for the remainder of the war (B9).