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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope illuminator from WR Prior
& Co Ltd. (1950s) WR Prior & Co Ltd was founded by Walter Robert Prior in 1919. The
company was originally located at Eagle Street, Holborn, London and later at
Devonshire Street, London. Little is known about the Company during this time
and no records or catalogues exist as to when and why they began to produce
microscopes under the Prior name. A WR Prior catalogue of microscopes and
accessories dated 1950 gives the location of the office as Devonshire Street
and the factory as Bishop’s Stortford, Herts., England, where manufacturing
was carried out from 1942 to 1957. On 10 January 1947 Walter Robert Prior
died at the early age of 55. The company relocated to a new factory at London
Road, Bishop Stortford in 1956 and continued to produce and develop new
microscopes. By 1960, Prior and Charles Perry merged
together but kept their separate names until about 1970. In 1978 WR
Prior & Co Ltd was acquired by The Gwyndann
Group of Companies and the name of the company was changed in 1979 to that of
Prior Scientific Instruments Ltd. In 1981 Prior Scientific Instruments Ltd
merged with James Swift and Son Ltd (founded in the mid 19th century). Fire
at the Bishop Stortford factory in 1988 meant the company had to relocate to
its present site in Fulbourn, Cambridge, England,
offering precision mechanical engineering, optics, electronics
and precision assembly. Expanding its operation further the company opened a
new office in 1991, Prior Scientific Inc, based in the USA, in 2008 Prior
GMBH in Jena, Germany, in 2010 Prior KK in Tokyo, Japan and in 2018 Prior
China. LAST
EDITED: 05.05.2021 |