Epsom & Ewell
Philatelic Society
WE hope to start meeting again in September 2021. In the meantime we are having fortnightly meetings via Zoom. Whether you are a member or not and would like to take part just drop us an email. If you have no experience of Zoom, don't worry, it is easier than you think and we'll do all we can to get you up and working. Meanwhile we have plenty for you to see and read under the Virtual Meetings, Focus on GB and Magazine tabs - take a look.
Gin and a neat watermark
THOSE who log on for our fortnightly Skype meetings would have heard Malcolm Cole speak about an unusual watermark device.
It is not only its size which makes it stand out, but also the fact that it is housed at the Bombay Sapphire Gin distillery at Laverstoke Mill, Whitchurch, near Reading.
Originally the mill produced
corn before the site was bought
by Henry Portal in 1718 and
converted into a paper mill. In 1724
Portal won the contract to produce Bank of England notes and pioneered the use of the watermark in paper currency.
As Malcolm says, the watermark (pictured left) is really is stunning.
"The amount of work undertaken to weave the picture onto the dandy roll is mind-blowing.
"As you know, the thickness of the wire used determines the light and shade of the final result and a picture of this complexity is truly breath-taking."
