The photograph to the left was taken by David Duncan during the 1970s. It shows the Gratispool processing laboratory at 12, St Margaret's Place, Glasgow. Alan Frame tells me "...just behind the Glasgow High Court with “Paddys Market” just behind their building".

Today, the plot of land where the Gratispool building once stood is just a small carpark.

To the extreme left hand edge of David Duncan's picture can be seen a clock tower which I believe is the Merchant's Steeple.

Also, see same in picture below.

A wonderful street view towards the Gratispool building, Glasgow, probably looking up Greendyke Street. Taken during the 1970s judging from the cars (notice the post-1971 Morris Marina 2-door Coupé turning left into Saltmarket).

This picture is shown on this website, uploaded by 'HollowHorn'.

David Duncan (Assistant Production Manager in 1974) worked in the Gratispool laboratories from April 1968 to August 1981.

He tells me this building was vacated in 1979 & film processing moved approx. 3 miles west to Clydeholm Road in the Whiteinch area. The Clydeholm premises was a former ship building works of 2 storeys and had a large clear area that allowed easier supervision and better production flow (rather than the labyrinth at St Margaret's Place).

Some Gratispool history can be found on the Directfoto site (see 'About', top left of their home page). However, there are detail differences compared to the version below, which has been given to me by the family of Geoffrey Stead, a pharmacist who began a studio photography business, including film processing, around 1932. I am especially indebted to Martin & Richard Stead for e-mailing a lot of family memories and also commenting upon the information I had already collected.

Richard Stead is a musician and composer of some repute, whose works have been performed by members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Edinburgh Quartet at the Loch Shiel Festival, and his setting of the Lord's Prayer has been sung by choirs in Indiana and Texas.

I must also thank Farquhar McKenzie, a former Gratispool emloyee who provided information on many aspects, especially the post-1981 dissolution of the previous Gratispool 'empire', and Suzanne (Sue) Lipshitz, daughter of Norman Adler, for providing information about her father's involvement in the Gratispool story.

This photograph shows Geoffrey Stead and his wife Edrei on the occasion of their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1981 (they were married in March 1931).

Surrounding Geoffrey & Edrei, from the left and in order of age from the youngest, are Sylvia, Nigel, Richard, Martin and Peter (now deceased). They all worked for Gratispool and its associated companies, though Peter spent most of his life in South America in the meat business.

The story began when Geoffrey Stead, a Yorkshireman from Bradford (a town located about 10 miles west of the city of Leeds) met his wife to be, Edrei Francis, when she worked as manageress of the Jerome photographic studio in Leeds. Click the link for more about the Jerome photo' studio chain. Edrei is believed to have acquired photographic knowledge from her father, Jack Francis.

Geoffrey's interest in photography was kindled by his meeting with Edrei and it is possible he transferred this enthusiasm to his two younger brothers, Stanley and Harry, since these brothers individually set up their own photographic studios, Stanley in Kendal, Cumbria and Harry in prestigious Bond St., London. Both Stanley & Harry were very competent photographers, being particularly good at photographing children. Harry Stead made quite a name for himself in London and had opportunity to photograph the Royal Family.

With assistance from Edrei, Geoffrey Stead opened a photographic studio in Boar Lane, Leeds (Holbeck area of the City), called Geoffrey's Studios. Film processing was carried out in the back room of the premises where they also processed films for customers who dropped them into the shop, as was quite normal in those days. Since the Studio supplied its portraits as postcard size prints, it was easier to print all films to this size instead of printing some to postcard and others to small 'contact prints'. Its unknown, but possible, that another incentive behind this 'postcard size' print policy was because Geoffrey was using paper based film in his Studio (as Edrei would have used during her time at the Jerome Studio) and its not possible to make contact prints from paper negatives. Whatever the reason for his 'postcard print only' policy, it proved very popular and Geoffrey's studio business moved in favour of photofinishing, eventually under the name 'The PC Developing and Printing Co.' (in this title, PC stood for PostCard.)

To increase custom for his photofinishing, Geoffrey offered his services to chemists shops (chemists were also photographic retailers at that time, due to their involvement with the supply and use of chemicals), only to find that many refused him because they were concerned that once they started offering postcard size prints to their customers, at the same price as (smaller) contact prints, they would find it difficult to back-track if Geoffrey's service proved unreliable. Its possible that they were influenced to make this response by the Wholesale PhotoFinishers Association (WPFA; see p5 of this link), who would have wanted to discourage the competitive advantage postcard sized prints gave to Geoffrey Stead compared to their own members, who supplied contact prints as standard and charged extra for postcard enlargements.

To avoid the reluctance of the local chemists, Geoffrey had the clever idea to approach newsagents, tobacconists and, most unconventional of all, the many radio shops which were sprouting up all over the place at that time. Since they had no prior involvement with the photofinishing trade they were not influenced by the attitude of the WPA and were happy to take on a sideline that cost them no investment. It was only when one of the radio shops went bankrupt, in Mitchell Street, Glasgow, owing Geoffrey a substantial part of his turnover, that he decided to go direct to the public and get his money 'up-front', running his business on 'Other People's Money (OPM, as he termed it), rather than awaiting payment via the retailers. So Geoffrey turned to direct marketing via mail order using newspaper advertisements, a novel strategy at the time for the d&p trade.

To further promote his business and persuade customers away from buying film in local chemists shops (where they tended to return when needing processing), Geoffrey Stead advertised an initial free (black & white) film by post and similar every time a film was returned to him for processing.

Hence, around 1934, the 'Gratispool' company was born, at 37 Isles Lane, Leeds 11 (in the Holbeck area of the city); see print envelope, left.

Having given away a free film, Gratispool ensured it was returned for processing by using a low cost type which produced opaque paper negatives rather than conventional transparent celluloid ones.

Gratispool purchased the light sensitised 'fast' bromide paper negative material in bulk, from Criterion, a company based at the Arclight Works of E.N.Mason & Sons, Ltd, Colchester (formed in 1905). Post-World War II the sensitised material came from from Kodak.

The bulk sensitised paper was made up into roll film 'spools', mostly by hand. Although the 'spools' could be developed by most anyone using normal film developer etc. the resulting 'paper' negatives had to be printed by Gratispool's own purpose designed reflected light enlargers (Richard Stead recalls that his father's reflected light enlargers used 1000watt bulbs), rather than by the commonly available transmitted light method.

 Hence, once you had taken pictures on a Gratispool film, you became 'locked into' using Gratispool's d&p services since (virtually) only they could print your negatives. Fortunately, Gratispool gave a good service and a huge number of people were happy using the free film, knowing they would receive low cost postcard sized prints.

Gratispool worked successfully from their premises in Holbeck, Leeds for several years but as the business grew it became apparent that the premises were becoming too small. A survey of Gratispool's customers showed a disproportionate number came from Glasgow, so it was decided to open further premises in that city. These were found at 207 William Street, Glasgow, C3. Later it was discovered that the customer sample was statistically 'skewed' because it was taken during the Glasgow Fair Holiday (last two weeks in July). However, it proved to be a good move since there was an abundant supply of female labour in Glasgow. At that time there was ready employment for men in the Clyde shipyards, but such hard physical work was less suited to female labour. The opposite situation applied in Leeds, where many women worked in the woollen mills and Gratispool mainly employed men.

By 1938 Gratispool were establishing themselves in Glasgow and took advantage of the advertising potential of the 1938 Empire Exhibition, Scotland (unofficially known as the British Empire Exhibition, Glasgow). This exhibition ran from May 3rd to October 24th 1938 at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow and covered 175 acres. An advert tells how Gratispool had two kiosks at this exhibition, Kiosk A & Kiosk B, where visitors could leave their films for developing & printing. "Developing 6d (2.5p). Each print 2d (1p) (each print a GLOSSY POSTCARD)", "... we will supply you with an ultra-rapid 8-exposure film for further Exhibition photographs, free of charge." "Amateur Photographers should read the correct exposure for all films at the Gratispool Kiosks where constant readings on a photoelectric meter will keep you right."

For about 10 years, from 1938 until the late 1940s Gratispool offered its services out of both the Leeds and Glasgow premises. However, in the late 1940s a fire destroyed the premises at Leeds during maintenance work and this prompted the subsequent consolidation of all Gratispool's business in Glasgow. Initially this was at William Street, C3, but later at St.Margaret's Place, Glasgow C1.

The move to St. Maraget's Place was around 1954.

The green & orange print envelopes above are dated 18th Dec 1946 (green) and 10th Oct 1947 (orange) and both have the two Gratispool addresses i.e. William St, Glasgow C3 and Holbeck, Leeds 11.

The blue envelope alongside, dated 15th June 1949, has just the William Street, Glasgow C3 address. Hence, the fire at Leeds must have occurred sometime between the autumn of 1947 and mid-1949. It makes sense that maintenance work would have been taking place during the photographically 'slack' UK winter months, so its most likely the fire was either during the winter of 1947-48 or 1948-49. However, since it is known that the Leeds premises were closed by summer 1948 (see the following paragraphs) the winter of 1947-48 is the most likely time of the fire.

To explain how it is known that the Leeds premises were closed by summer 1948, I wish to express my appreciation of information from Suzanne (Sue) Lipschitz, née Adler, whose father, Norman Adler, was an associate of Geoffrey Stead from the earliest beginnings of the Gratispool organisation. Sue (an art dealer living in Plettenberg, South Africa) and her brother Michael (a retired orthopaedic surgeon living in Israel), have 'pooled' their memories of their father's business activities relating to Gratispool, as occurred both in the UK and subsequently in South Africa. Sue recollects her father telling her that he studied photography as a young man and that he visited Kodak's Rochester, New York, HQ whilst in the States during the early 1930s. When he returned to England it's believed he pooled his knowledge with Geoffrey Stead and together they worked to set up the Gratispool company.

Norman Adler, originally from Leeds, was married on June 28th 1936 in Sunderland, his wife's home city (Norman's wife's surname was Isaacs). They started their married life living in Moorallerton Way, Leeds. Later, by the time of Sue's birth in 1942, the family were living between Wetherby and Scarcroft (Dormerville). When Geoffrey Stead obtained Gratispool's William Street, Glasgow, premises, the Stead family relocated to Glasgow and left the Leeds premises (Sue refers to them being at Lowhall Mills) in the hands of her father, Norman. The date when the Stead family relocated to Glasgow is uncertain, but seems to have occurred during 1938. Since Sue's brother, Michael Adler, was born in Leeds during March 1938, one can speculate that Michae Adler's birth may have had some involvement in Norman Adler and his wife being happy to stay behind in Leeds. How autonomously Norman operated the Leeds premises, once the Stead family were busily engaged in Glasgow, is uncertain. Sue believes her father had a business partnership with Geoffrey and Edrei that would have given him a status better than merely being 'Manager' at Leeds. Indeed, it may be there was an equal (or near equal) partnership in the early days of the fledgling Gratispool company.

Following the Stead's move to Glasgow, Norman continued to run the Leeds premises for a further 10 years or so, in conjunction with his factory manager Ernest Carlson. Unfortunately, towards the end of the 1940s a fire destroyed the premises during maintenance work. It is not known for certain when the Leeds fire occurred, but was most probably during the 1947-48 winter maintenance period. Norman had not been in the best of health for some time and the fire was 'the last straw' which prompted him to emigrate, with his wife and children, to South Africa. Norman and his wife already had an association with South Africa, having met on-board ship during Norman's first trip to South Africa in 1934/35. His wife's parents and her two brothers were already in South Africa, having emigrated some years previous. Thus, by the time Norman and his family arrived on the 'Cape Town Castle' on 10th June 1948, there were many family members already in Cape Town and elsewhere in SA. It is the certain knowledge that Norman was no longer running the Gratispool premises at Leeds by mid-1948 which helps to 'fix' the date of the Leeds fire to the winter of 1947-48. The UK winter from late January to mid March 1947 was very severe and may well have encouraged Norman to seek a better climate for the sake of his health. Fortunately, Norman's health recovered once in South Africa, after a thyroid problem, which had been over-looked in the UK, was at last diagnosed.

On his arrival in S.Africa, Norman set up Gratispool Africa (Proprietary) Limited, which was incorporated according to the Companies Act of South Africa on the thirtieth (30th) day of September 1948, signed by the Registrar of Companies, Pretoria. This business initially operated out of 48 Caledon Street, Cape Town. Later it moved to Castle Street, Cape Town, where it remained for many years. Apart from operating a 'paper film' based portrait studio business, Norman also offerd a mail order 'Free Film Services' developing & printing service. This might explain the address of PO Box 6.877, Johannesburg, being the return address for the SA Gratispool film shown below, though Sue Lipschitz is not aware that her father had any Johannesbury business connections.

Referring to his recollections of Caledon Street, Michael Adler recalls: "There were three floors with the post being opened each morning (sacks of post in large post office bags) on the ground floor and developing on the top floor, with printing on the floor between. I remember the huge developing tanks and the smell of the chemicals. The opening of the post was most important. It came from all over Africa and we used to keep the stamps. Supplies of materials for films came from England and a free (paper negative) film was sent for every one received. I remember the large wooden printing machines and the powerful lights. Dad sent for Ernest Carlson from England after a few years - he had been his factory manager in England. At one stage there was a trolley bus with Gratispool adverts. In the mid-1950s colour photography technology started with special paper and many chemicals. It seemed very complicated and in order to keep up, Dad sent me (Michael) to Johannesburg in 1957 to study the process at the Kodak factory. Before that, he used to very carefully colour some of the pictures by hand and I still have his magnifying glass on my desk."

"The S.African Government passed the Population Registration Act in 1950 and this required that everyone had to be photographed for an identity document. Dad was very busy at this time and I remember going with him on some of his trips - to Robben Island, to Port Elizabeth and to Riversdale. He had a lovely Leica camera. I went on the back of a moped to Riversdale with a woman photographer who was going to assist him."

"In the 1950s Norman went into partnership with Mr Hutch, a German who lived in Bishopscourt. The business was called Le Portrait and there was a studio in Queen Victoria Street."

Leaving Norman in S.Africa, the story returns to the UK, where Geoffrey & Edrei Stead, with their growing family, are now living and working in Glasgow. Richard Stead recalls an interesting anecdote as war approached. When Neville Chamberlain (UK Prime Minister from May 1937 to May 1940) returned from his Munich conference with Adolf Hitler at the end of September 1938, flourishing his signed 'piece of paper' of appeasement, Geoffrey recognised (as did Winston Churchill) that, despite this 'agreement', war with Germany was inevitable. So Geoffrey mortgaged everything he could to enable the purchase of stocks of post card sized strip printing paper and so ensure he could continue to offer his d&p services in the event of war. Edrei Stead amusingly describes this foresight in Part 11 (January 1976) of 'The Gratispool Story', which she authored for 'interVIEW' magazine (see below).

Martin Stead recalls that although celluloid was scarce during the war, the production of paper based film increased dramatically to meet the demands of RAF reconnaissance.

Gratispool received their negative paper supplies already cut into strips which had to be spooled with backing paper in the dark. Martin describes this as a simple job, no doubt because of the relatively bright red safelighting which the orthochromatic 'film' material would have allowed. The backing paper came on large continuous rolls, but was notched to indicate individual lengths. Initially this backing paper, black on the 'inside', was red on the outer surface, only becoming yellow later (perhaps the changeover to Kodak's supply ?)

The developing & printing (d&p) trade was sluggish during the war, but portrait studios were very busy taking pictures of Servicemen in their uniforms; also taking pictures of wives, families and sweethearts for the servicemen to carry with them.

Geoffrey Stead had purchased two such studios in Glasgow and these employed some of his laboratory staff. Some others of the staff were kept busy at the newly occupied William Street premises making siren suits (meaning overalls to be put on over pyjamas in the event of sirens warning of the need to go to the air raid shelter), lampshades, ladies handbags etc until the raw materials dried up.

There were also government contracts; the Leeds premises made uniforms, while at Glasgow they made gas mask cases, shirts & pyjamas. An activity of national importance, but very specialsied, was the making of microfilms of files and important papers.

Geoffrey was able to further diversify by returning to his pharmaceutical origins, manufacturing Flouride toothpaste (he was ahead of his time in this and had to put a warning on the tubes to say flourine was a poison) and vitamin-enriched chocolate, which you could buy without a ration book. He also sold aspirins and other pills under the trade name Naxan, a name he was very proud to have invented because it read the same backwards and forwards. A family joke was that it should have been NoxoN, as that way it would have been the same upside down as well! Geoffrey also purchased the City Steam Laundry in Govan (Martin still has a big laundry basket from there) and he dabbled, with his cousin Jack Ferrari, in surplus army goods. There were so many company ventures at that time that, when Geoffrey was away in the Army, Edrei used to say she was left with 14 businesses to run. Martin suspects there is some exaggeration in this claim, but it shows the diversification Geoffrey Stead established at a time when d&p was slack.

Shortly after the start of WWII, Edrei was looking after 6 children, 3 boys of her own, 1 girl refugee from the Spanish Civil War and 2 evacuees. When the evacuees eventually returned to their homes, but with Geoffrey in the Army, the 2 elder Stead children and the Spanish girl (Felisa) went to boarding school so that Edrei, albeit with Richard still only a toddler, could have opportunity to manage the business. Felisa was a few years older than the 2 elder Stead children and so also spent a while working in Geoffrey's studios in Glasgow. Its believed she hand coloured some of the portraits.

By summer 1954 Gratispool were operating from both their 207 William Street, Glasgow C3 premises and their new premises at 12 St.Margaret's Place, Glasgow C1 (see building picture at the top of this page). Of the 2 print envelopes shown below, both date from June 1954, the red one is from William St while the magenta envelope is from St.Margaret's Place.

The William Street premises were later demolished during construction of the M8 motorway (1960s) and the Hilton hotel (1 William Street) now sits more or less on the site occupied by Gratispool's William St. premises. The St Margarets Place building has also since been demolished.

By 1960, Gratispool became involved with colour photography, advertising a 'Colour Club' which specialised in the supply and processing of Kodak Ektachrome film (E-2 process, 32ASA) transparency (reversal) films. Including a replacement Ektachrome film, processing a 20 exposure 35mm cost 18/6d (92.5p) or a 120/620/127 roll film cost 15/6d (77.5p). Since professional processing carried out elsewhere might have cost 9/- (45p) and the film would have been a further 14s/2d (71p) for a 20exp 35mm or 10s/6d (52.5p) for a roll film, Gratispool's prices (with their 'free' replacement film) were effectively an overall saving of around 25%. (Kodak had first introduced 127 format Ektachrome into the UK at the start of 1960).

Martin Stead recalls that organising the processing of Ektachrome was his first real job with his father's Gratispool company. Ektachrome processing was done by hand, the films being hung on stainless steel hangers (frames) in batches of around 15 to 20 and dipped consecutively into tanks which were originally designed to contain battery cells on submarines. (In their original use, such tanks provided an acid-proof enclosure against undetected battery electrolyte leakage. Since electrolyte is highly corrosive sulphuric acid, uncontained leakage could seriously weaken the pressure hull of a submarine.) With Ektachrome being a colour film it had to be processed in total darkness, without the benefit of a safe-light. Since this precluded a visible clock, the girls who did Ektachrome processing had to work all day in the silent dark, except for Martin's recorded voice saying; "Put the new frame in the first tank......now!" "Take the frame from the fourth tank and put it in the next......now!" ad infinitum. It took Martin several evenings at home to perfect this, because there were maybe three or four frames going through at any one time and the time in each tank was different. In order to work to a single set of instructions, and depending upon how many films were being processed, sometimes the recorded instruction referred to moving a non-existent frame, but the girls understood and it all worked fine.

Gratispool claimed their 'Colour Club' made colour photography cheaper than b&w. To demonstrate this they compared (AP magazine, 7th Dec 1960) a 120 roll film camera taking 24 shots on a film priced at 3s/3d (16p), developing cost 1s/6d (7.5p) and 6d (2.5p) per enprint, the total cost being 16s/9d (84p), or 8.5d (3.5p) per b&w enprint. The 'Club' offered to process a similar roll film of colour transparencies (including a replacement film) for 15s/6d (77.5p) or 7.75d per transparency (just over 3p each). Of course, this was a bit of a cheat, as the unusually large number of b&w prints per film (24 on 120) substantially increased the total b&w cost, while the cost of processing a transparency film is independent of the number of pictures per film. So, if the camera took a more conventional 12 pictures per 120 film, the b&w costs would have been 10s/9d (54p), making each b&w print around 11d each (4.5p) while the transparencies would each have cost 1s/3½d (6.5p), 44% more expensive than b&w!

Plus, you still had the cost of viewing your transparencies, compared to the convenience of hand-held b&w enprints.

In Spring 1960, Gratsipool announced in their quarterly Photo News magazine, that henceforth they would be printing 12 on 120 square (black & white) negatives at KING SIZE 4"x4" rather than the previous 3½"x3½". This was possibly to simply their print cost attangements, since previously rectangular negatives printed to postcard size were charged at 6d each (2½p) whereas square prints were charged at 5d (2.1p). With the move to King Size square prints, ALL prints were then charged at 6d.

Developing costs (black & white) increased for all film sizes to 1/6d (7.5p), a 6d increase. But Gratispool still claimed a substantial saving over prices elsewhere. An 8 exposure film processed by Gratispool to postcard sized prints, including another film, cost 5/6d (27.5p), whereas the 'current list price' was said to be 12/3d (61p), including 2/9d (14p) for a replacement roll film.

To download a full copy of Photo News for Spring 1960, click here, or on the image left (2.1MB file size). The back page describes 'Gratispool Wintertime Products'. Under the heading 'Photography at Low Ebb in Winter' are described Electric Blankets and 'Superb Model Yachts' for sale. This diversification, enabling the staff to be retained on productive work when few films were received for processing, was started during the early 1940s (see siren suits, above).

In 1961, the Gratispool Co. Ltd. acquired sole rights for the supply and processing of Dynachrome colour transparency film in the UK and rebranded it 'Gratispool'. The US Dynacolor Corporation (Rochester, New York) first marketed Dynachrome, (unusually, a non-substantive reversal film, as is Kodachrome) in the USA from 1959 (previously the company had marketed a film called Dynacolor from 1949). Dynachrome shared the same K11 Kodak developing process as the early Kodachrome (Kodachrome II, introduced in 1961 - but maybe 1962 in the UK ? - used a new Kodak process called K12, which itself was replaced by the K14 process in 1974). Martin recalls that the formulation for the K11 process was given to Gratispool by Dynachrome, whose founders had all worked previously for Kodak. He comments "Kodak may not have been relaxed about it, but the anti-trust laws in the US stopped them from doing anything about it. By that stage, they might as well make some money and keep tabs on our progress by selling us (and Dynacolor) the wherewithal to do it."

With Kodak moving over to the K12 process, they may have felt they were not losing much if others used the previous K11 process.

By late spring 1962 Gratispool were advertising their Gratispool (née Dynachrome) 8mm colour cine film priced at 19/11d (near £1), which included processing and another 'free' film. Although not stated in their adverts it is understood the cine film was originally 10ASA and stayed 10ASA until Gratispool 2 (II) was introduced in April 1964. There had always been a shop at the St Margaret's Place processing laboratory, taking orders and also selling simple cameras, so when their 8mm cine film went on sale, Gratispool started to sell movie cameras and complete cine kits, to create a market for the film. These sold amazingly well such that Gratispool next opened a shop in Queen St, in the shopping area of Glasgow, and considerably widened their range of equipment. The story behind Gratispool's move into selling cine equipment can be read in Bill Kerr's account of working as the Scottish Regional Salesman for Mayfair Photographic Suppliers (London) Ltd. during 1962-64.

The 32ASA Kodak Ektachrome colour transparency film processing & mounting service had increased slightly in cost (since 1960) to 18/9d (94p), including another Ektachrome 20exp. 35mm film. The roll film price remained at 15/6d = 77.5p.

Until 1963 Gratispool imported its US Dynachrome film in 8mm cine size only and returned it to Dynacolor for processing. However, from 1963 Gratispool also imported the film in bulk rolls which could be cut and spooled into 35mm cassettes. From this time Gratispool carried out their own processing of both cine and 35mm films on machines purchased from Dynacolor. Certain chemicals for the processing of (non-substantive) Dynachrome were obtained from Kodak's Kirkby (Merseyside) chemicals manufacturing factory and this continued until (at least) 1969.

From April 1963 Gratispool advertised their (née Dynachrome) own-brand colour reversal film in 36 exposure 35mm cassettes with transparencies returned in plastic mounts and with a replacement film "all for 19s/11d" (near £1). A first film was obtained by sending money in advance, but the amount required for that first film seemed to vary during the initial months. An advert in the April edition of 'Colour Photography' says "Send 2/6d (12.5p) for your first Gratispool 35mm colour film...", but the following month, the same advert is requesting 5/- (25p). Then, by September 1963, the price has risen to 10/- (50p) for the first film !

For two years from April 1963 Gratispool supplied Dynachrome films, cine and still, in special packing at process-paid prices, to Dixons Photographic Ltd. Dixons retailed the films under its own brand name of 'Prinzcolor' at process-paid prices which it was free to fix, and processing was carried out by Gratispool. Although Dixons were the first company to whom Gratispool packaged private label film, there were others. Reader's Digest was one of the biggest. Martin Stead recalls visiting their office to see if they had any good ideas that could be copied in Gratispool's customer relations department. All he can remember is that they had about a dozen secretaries in the department and each had a four tier in-tray. Bottom was for enquiries, up one for minor complaints, up two threatening to sue, and on top threatening to write to the papers. They had to always work from the top!

The Dynacolor Corporation was acquired by 3M in 1963 and by 1965 Dynachrome was being imported into the UK by 3M's British subsidiary (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. Ltd.) who then supplied to other UK outlets than Gratispool (Dixons ?, see para above). In 1966, 3M began supplying Dynachrome to Gratispool, avoiding the need for Gratispool to import it from the US. 3M also acquiring the Italian transparency film manufacturer Ferrania in June 1964 and within a couple of years Gratispool changed to supplying Ferrania film under the 'International' brand. Dynachrome remained available (in the US) until 1970.

Ektachrome processing continued, eventually as 64ASA (Kodak first introduced 35mm 64ASA Ektachrome as Ektachrome X in late 1963, having been available in the new 126 Instamatic format since 1st May 1963). By spring 1966, Gratispool were using Kodak's new E4 process for all Ektachrome processing, though it's believed to have been in partial use before that date. This was made possible by the installation "of the latest, most advanced and expensive, REFREMA processing plant". The trade name Refrema stands for REidl FRemkalde (developing) MAchines; their first was build in 1948. In the 1960s Refrema was a manufacturer of batch processing equipment - continuous processing appeared later with 126 films being pre-spliced into batches of about 70 films (to match the length of colour paper roll). The practical difference between E2 and E4 was that E2 required the film to receive a second exposure to light during its processing. E4 processing avoided this by including chemical reversal (using an additive to the colour developer called tertiary butylamine borane). Eventually (maybe late 1977) E4 gave way to the current E6 process, which retains chemical reversal but uses more environmentally friendly chemistry.

Gratispool's prints from transparencies cost 1/9d (9p) for the 3.5"x3.5" size or 2/- (10p) for 5"x3.5". These were made using an internegative process with subsequent printing onto conventional colour print paper. There was a problem with the final image quality, because of the two stage process. This service was discontinued after two or three years, when Gratispool had established themselves in colour negative film developing & printing. Later Kodak introduced a reversal paper that allowed reversal printing direct from the original slide, but quality control remained difficult. ('Ektachrome' Type 1993 in 1972 was replaced by the lower contrast & faster Type 2203 in 1976; meanwhile -1974/75- Kodak Pathé in France produced the even faster 'Ektachrome' 14RC paper, with 'Ektaprint' 14 chemicals, and made it available for amateur use). Things improved during the latter 1970s (possibly assisted by the introduction of Type 2203) when all of Gratispool's reversal processing was carried out at the specialist (Fencolor) laboratory in Cambridge.

Ron Houslip (see photograph below) became involved with Gratispool in 1963 at a time when colour negative film was starting to make in-roads into the b&w market. At that time, Ron was employed by a London based advertising agency which organised some of Gratispool's advertising. A few years later, after successfully demonstrating a new method of interacting with potential customers, involving distributed mailing envelopes, Ron joined Gratispool as the Managing Director of a newly created subsidiary 'Free Film Service' (see below).

Martin Stead has commented that "Ron made an enormous impact on Gratispool's marketing, which he attacked with enthusiasm and imagination, and without his contribution Gratispool might never have grown as fast".

Near the top of this web page I mention that some information relating to Gratispool is contained on the Directfoto web site. Directfoto is a Guernsey based technology retail shop, offering both digital and conventional film processing. It is run by John Houslip, the son of Ron Houslip (Ron Houslip died in early August 2008).

Ron Houslip wrote a two part account of the story behind 'Gratispool' within the magazine 'Photographic Processor' (Part 1 is in the December 1979 issue, pages 282 & 283). The following text in italics indicates where I have extracted (and part edited) paragraphs from that article.

Gratispool 1963 prices for Kodacolor d&p significantly under-cut Kodak's own to the extent that the replacement film was effectively 'free' to customers of Gratispool's service.

In April 1964, Gratispool introduced their Gratispool 2 (also referred to as Gratispool II) colour transparency film "NOW arriving from the USA", an improved version of the previous Dynachrome. It was rated at 25ASA instead of the previous 10ASA. The name Gratispool II was posssibly inspired by the earlier upgrading of Kodachrome to Kodachrome II (which first arrived around 1962 in the UK). Whether Gratispool then introduced the new K12 process (as used for Kodachrome II) is unknown.

Gratispool 2 won much favourable comment from the photographic press, viz; 35mm Photography Dec 1964 and Colour Photography April 1965, (read their test reports), Camera Magazine (Oct 1964), 8mm Movie Maker (Oct 1964) and 8mm Magazine (Oct 1964). Amateur Photographer used it in a test of a Lumicon RZ337 cine camera in their 8th July 1964 issue and commented "...the new Gratispool 25ASA stock certainly showed softer contrast, wider exposure latitude and more restrained colour reproduction than the previous 10ASA emulsion...".

Gratispool 2 was available in 36exp. 35mm cassettes and 8mm 25ft length double run movie film, the latter balanced either for outdoor lighting or (as Type A, rated at 40ASA) for artificial lighting indoors. Whichever film was required, you sent money to Gratispool for your first film and then the subsequent processing cost of 19s/11d (near £1) also covered the cost of your next replacement film. An advert in Amateur Photogapher (29th April 1964) makes a 'half price' offer, whereby sending 10/- entitled you to two 35mm or two cine films, or one of each. Hence ".... only 7d (3p) per exposure". Whether 35mm slides continued to be supplied in plastic mounts is not specified. I recollect receiving Gratispool 2 slides in strong cardboard mounts, plain yellow on the viewing side and white on the reverse (see alongside).

Having 72 half-frame transparencies mounted rather than 36 full frame, was initially without extra charge, but from Spring 1965 an extra charge was levied of 5/- (25p ~ note from G.W.Stead in Colour Photography magazine for March-April 1965). [Half-frame photography, although not new (Korelle-K 'single frame' camera on sale c1933), the format had a major impact on the amateur photographic market from around 1960 with the introduction of the Olympus Pen series of cameras. Although originally thought to be the natural successor to the full frame 35mm design, the subsequent introduction of compact 35mm cameras, made possible by using shorter focal length standard lenses and integrated circuit electronics, largely eliminated, by the early 1970s, one of the major benefits of the half-frame design, its pocketability. Ironically, Olympus themselves set this trend with their ubiquitous 'Trip 35' camera, from 1966, popularised via the famous David Bailey TV adverts in 1977. But Olympus continued to sell half frame cameras for some years thereafter. They introduced the Pen EF, a fully auto design with built in flash, in November 1981. A half-frame postal print portfolio group exists (mid-2007), assisted by film emulsions that have improved over the past 40 years. Ilford Delta 100 is especially recommended!]

3rd June 1964 edition of Amateur Photographer shows possibly the start of Gratispool's move into selling photo' equipment. There is an advertisement (p123) for the Maximus 8mm IIIE compact, auto-control, direct viewing zoom movie camera at £49.19s.6d or, as a complete kit, including a "super, reliable, quiet running projector, 30insx40ins glass beaded tripod mounted roll-up screen, film splicer, holdall, comedy film and two Gratispoool colour movie films, all for £50guineas (£50.50s = £52.10s = £52.50p). In the 2nd September issue, Gratispool are advertising another cine camera "Unsaleable at £60, the world's best buy at £12.19s.6d". This is the Pentaka 8B from Carl Zeiss Jena, Dresden. Clockwork driven, with fixed Zeiss Biotar f2 lens, this camera dates from 1960 and was presumably being sold off by Jena as surplus stock."

Around 1965 Gratispool's black & white (b&w) film became a celluloid base 100ASA (125ASA by maybe 1968) panchromatic "made especially for Gratispool by a famous manufacturer" (possibly by Ferrania - unconfirmed, though I have received information that it seems to share the characteristics of Ferrania Panchro P30). Resulting b&w enprints cost around ¼ the cost of Kodacolor colour enprints. Black & white processing still included a 'free' Gratispool replacement film, regardless of what film was sent for processing (as occurred from the earliest Gratispool days). Gratispool's own b&w film could be purchased in advance "...at a special low price" of 2s/6d (12.5p) for a roll film or 5s (25p) for a 36exposure 35mm.

During 1965 the cost of processing 36 exposure 35mm Gratispool 2 transparency film rose from 19s/11d to 24s/11d. Gratispool 8mm cine film processing cost also rose, but only to 21s (55p). In both cases, first films cost 10s (50p) each. Each 35mm transparency cost a "...little over 8d (3.3p) each" (instead of the previous 7p). Gratispool claimed this compared favourably to 1/- (12.5p) elsewhere.

Alongside is the 35mm transparency mount (probably cardboard) used at this time by Gratispool for their own brand film and also for returning Kodak 64ASA Ektachrome transparencies. Below is the Gratispool 2, 25ASA, film carton and cassette

A 36exposure 35mm Ektachrome film, including processing, cost 28s/6d (£1.42½p) at this time, so 9½d each transparency (4p).

May 1967 'Photography' magazine, describing the International Photo-Cine Fair held in the National Hall, Olympia, 15th to 20th May, reported that Gratispool can no longer be associated exclusively with economical film supply and processing. "They have carried their theme to kits of equipment, still and cine" (though already sold by mail order since mid-1964, see previous).

In the 7th June 1967 edition of AP (p101) there is a Gratispool Photocentre advert advertising Minolta cameras with the enticement "We know that Minolta cameras are great. But do you know that if you buy one at Gratispool you can win a car.....WIN AN IMP...or anyone of 83 fantastic prizes plus a big bonus of 100gallons of Fina petrol". The IMP was the Hillman Imp.

At this time, the cost of a 35mm 36exposure 'Gratispool 2' transparency film, including processing, had reduced to 21/- (£1.05p) with 8mm cine back to the 1964 cost of 19s/11d (near £1). The marketing had also changed. Gratispool now claimed their colour film to be 'Free', by virtue of supplying a 10/- (50p) refund voucher when a customers sent 10/- for their first film (still or cine). Thus, the customer's total outlay for a set of 35mm colour slides, including a replacement film, was 21/-, even if they had never used the service previously. This colourful advert contains the details.

In September 1967, another approach to capturing the colour negative film processing market was organised by Ron Houslip (see above) when he arranged the trial distribution of 'mailing envelopes' for people to send in their colour print films for processing, with a 'free' Kodacolor film supplied with the prints. This idea stemmed from a sample envelope Martin brought back from a business trip to the States; the envelope was also the advertising medium. The approach had the advantage of not requiring a premium brand film to be offered 'up front'; only after a customer had committed to using the processing service. Since this marketing approach was different to previous, and the Steads were not certain whether it would be successful, they used an anonymous company name, 'Free Film Service' (FFS).

Some 100,000 colour print mailing envelopes were distributed which encouraged users to return their films to FFS at Maidenhead. All films were sent to Gratispool at Glasgow for processing. The response was so overwhelming that Ron Houslip left his previously held position with the London advertising agency to become Managing Director and minority shareholder (20%) with Martin & Richard Stead in the FFS company.

1n 1968, Gratispool 2 was available in two new formats, apart from 35mm (36exp) and 8mm cine. A summer time advert in Amateur Photographer (June 26th) shows the film was then also available in 20 exposure Instamatic 126 catridges as well as Super 8 cine. As in 1967, a potential customer sent 10/- (50p) to cover the cost of whichever film format he required and this was supplied with a voucher giving 10/- off the subsequent processing, plus a new film. All-in costs (film + processing) were 24s/9d (£1.39p) for 36exp 35mm transparencies (now mounted in 'easy to project PLASTIC mounts'), 18s/9d (94p) for 20exp 126 transparencies (also returned in plastic mounts), 22s/9d (£1.14p) for Standard 8mm cine processing and 25s/9d (£1.29p) for Super 8mm cine film processing.

Gratispool's Kodacolor processing service had been available since summer 1963, inspired by Ron Houslip. It operated in a similar way to their b&w service. Customers were requested to send in their previously purchased (elsewhere) Kodacolor negative film for processing, or alternatively Gratispool would sell customers a Kodacolor film in advance at a discount price, 8/6d (42.5p) for roll film and 10s/6d (52.5p) for 20 exposure 35mm. Either way, the subsequernt processing costs (8exp 22/6d - £1.13p; 20exp 48/6d - £2.43p) included a replacement Kodacolor. By 1965 Gratispool offered a replacement Kodacolor-X film with the processed results from ANY make of colour negative film sent in.

The Kodacolor CX 120 80ASA film shown left is believed to date to 1968. It has a label extending over the carton ends advising "This film was supplied by Gratispool, Glasgow, C1. Please make sure this film is correct in size and type BEFORE opening the carton. Films in broken cartons cannot be accepted for exchange".

Kodacolor-X print film was first released with Kodak's Instamatic camera range on 1st May 1963 as 64ASA, but that speed may have been for convenience of not having to provide Instamatics with multiple speed settings for the three films Kodachrome-X, Kodacolor-X and Verichrome Pan, made available in the 126 Kodapak cartridges at that time.

Kodacolor-X was available in standard roll film format by 1964 (from October 1963 for 12exposure and 20exposure 35mm cassettes; AP for 16th Oct 1963). Its speed remained at 64ASA for several years but must have been increased to 80ASA by 1968, as the above Kodacolor-X film expired in March 1970, suggesting it was supplied in 1968, and its speed rating is 80ASA. Kodacolor 80ASA had been available in the US as early as autumn 1963 (see Colour Photography magazine, September 1963, p410)

The 120 panchromatic b&w roll film carton shown above presumably dates from maybe 1968, as the film inside the carton had the later (new improved) 125ASA speed rating, rather than the original 100ASA. The same carton contained the mailing envelope shown alongside.

Martin Stead has advised me of the reason for the unusual Gratispool address. "As b&w business diminished there was quite a bit of consolidation in the processing trade and many photofinishers subcontracted their b&w work, which gave a worthwhile volume to those who continued to do it. In the case of Gratispool an arrangement was made with Charles Plant, who had a lab' in Chester called NAP (Northern Associated Photofinishers, I think). In those days traditional photofinishers were a bit shy about being associated with those who undercut others by giving away films (as Gratispool), so NAP suggested Altrincham as a (clandestine) address, as they collected from there anyway. By this time, with the growing importance to their business of colour photography, Gratispool realised they didn't need to both any longer having a b&w film that no one else could handle. In any case, no one was prepared to carry on making decreasing quantities of paper-based film".

"The relationship with NAP only lasted two or three years, as Gratispool later acquired Fencolour, a lab' in Cambridge that was already doing the b&w film processsing for Gratispool's 1971 subsidiary 'Free Film Service' (FFS) in Maidenhead, and it was all sent there". A b&w 127 size FFS roll film is shown below.

Alongside is shown a 127 sized black & white (b&w) panchromatic film in a Free Film Services, Maidenhead, carton (looking very much like a Kodak Kodacolor carton). This confirms that FFS were also returning 'own brand' b&w films to any customers sending in their b&w films for processing (the organisation Process C-22 confirms the likelihood of this being a 3M/Ferrania Pan film).

Processing of b&w films was likely being carried out either by NAP at Chester (see the yellow Altrincham address envelope above) or (later) by the Fencolor lab' in Cambridge.

During the 1970s (post-1975) Ron Houslip, while on the Gratispool board in his capacity as Sales Director of the merged company ~ Gratispool International Holdings ~ pushed for the creation of what became a successful chain of small shops called 'SupaSnapS'. These outlets were rapidly set up (the aim was 12 stores a month) to compete with the mini-labs which were springing up in most all town centres, though SupaSnapS did not operate minilabs. Although Martin half expected that one day it might become necessary to convert them to proper mini-labs to compete on service times, Gratispool managed to set up an efficient collection & processing service using satellite laboratories to carry out the actual d&p work, and turnaround time was kept down to two nights. This enabled SupaSnapS to offer colour prints at half the price mini-labs were charging, albeit the minilabs could offer a turnaround of only a few hours. But the lower cost of SupaSnapS seemed to better satisfy their customers. Over the weekend, when fewer films were handed in for processing (it was Sunday closing in those days), the laboratories were kept in operation printing films received from mailing envelopes.

In 1977, Martin Stead, the last of the 'Stead family' to be Managing Director & Chairman of Gratispool, resigned his position, but remained as a non-executive director and was closely involved with his successors Paul Malton, who became Managing Director having been Financial Director for some years, and Ron Houslip, who became Chairman.

Agfa had played a significant part in the growth of Gratispool because the new laboratories and equipment needed significant capital investment (splicers, film processors, notchers, printers, paper processors and print finishing equipment) all of which Agfa supplied via a "bundled paper contract" where the printing materials included a price element that covered the equipment costs. When Gratispool was put up to be sold, there was competition between Agfa and 3M (Agfa had invested equipment and risked losing their paper sales whereas 3M risked the loss of significant film sales). 3M offered more and Agfa could not quickly respond because of the instability in the silver market at the time (a rapid increase in the price of silver during 1978-1980 was followed by a reduction involving 3 years of wide price fluctuations).

In 1981, the Gratispool company was sold to 3M's Photographic Division, the date presumably reflecting the year of Geoffrey & Edrei Stead's 50th wedding anniversary. 3M continued to use the company name Gratispool International Holdings Ltd, but only kept the organisation until the end of October 1986 before selling off the various parts of the business. 3M attempted to operate the Finglas laboratory (Dublin) for a while but eventually shut it down. Mail-orders were then transferred to the Glasgow laboratory at Clydeholm Road.

Similarly, 3M found they were not able to achieve satisfactory margins with the SupaSnapS chain, despite new initiatives like offering 5"x7" prints at a price which undercut competitors and trials of a next day d&p service (their '27-shop test' started late summer 1986).

Operating margins were low and many SupaSnapS stores were unprofitable; the competing mini-labs were taking an increasing market share, being able, by then, to offer a 1-hour service. The price premium on a mini-lab service compared to SupaSnapS was less a disincentive to customers who were more affluent by the mid-1980s compared to 10 years previous. Mini-labs gave the further advantage that customers did not need to worry about commiting their precious film memories to the post, a factor which meant a substantial part of the photofinishing market moved from mail order to High St retail. 3M did not want to make further capital investment (even mini-labs were hardly profitable) and exited the activity, having first closed (post-1984) the laboratories in Blackpool (serving 114 SupaSnapS shops) and Cambridge (the Fencolor Laboratory Ltd, Coldhams Road).

The remnant Gratispool businesses, being the SupaSnapS stores and the laboratories in Glasgow, Reading and Northampton, were sold to Dixons Colour Laboratories who (possibly as part of the deal) continued to buy SupaSnapS branded film from 3M.

Below are two more SupaSnaps promotional cameras, both taking 126 'Instamatic' cartridges. The yellow camera completely encloses the film cartridge (as is conventional) but the white camera (shown with its open-frame viewfinder folded down) only partly encloses the cartridge (as explained above). On the back of the yellow camera it says "Only use Snappit film in this camera. Return your film to SupaSnapS for best results. Hold the camera very still. Use in bright sunshine."

These simple cameras were sometimes given away when you took a film in for processing, as you can see in the 1991 YouTube video below. To see it in this web page, click on the white arrow at the centre of the image.

Below, a SupaSnapS promotional 'cool bag' bearing the logo 'Fast or Free'. This relates to a SupaSnapS TV advertising campaign from the 1980s which promoted the SupaSnaps jingle:

Dixons sold the Gratispool laboratories in a Management Buy-Out (MBO) but retained the SupaSnapS stores. Subsequently Dixons sold SupaSnaps to Sketchley (part of Johnsons Cleaners UK Ltd) who took some advantage that the dry cleaning season tends to be the opposite of the amateur photography market. An internet search (early 2007) suggested some SupaSnaps stores might (then) still exist, with a few still operating out of Sketchley shops.

I understand from Andy Ensor, who worked for SupaSnapS at Martineau Way, Birmingham from 1985 through to 2000 and experienced the 3M, Dixons and Sketchley years, that the SupaSnapS working environment was a very happy one, though it became progressively less so as the years went by, the ownership changed and the business shrank into Sketchleys. Below are pictures of Martineau Way during the era when Sketchley owned SupaSnapS. The right hand picture shows the shop staff with a SupaSnapS marketing idea 'Snap Man'.

Andy started work in the processing laboratory at Martineau Way, which at the time (1985) was HUGE. This facility continued but eventually encompassed the new mini-lab technology. Three mini-labs were installed, each one slightly smaller in size than its predecessor, and each requiring less and less technical knowledge. Finally the shop was demolished to make way for a Sainsbury's supermarket.

The Gratispool laboratories, which had been purchased from Dixons in a Management Buy-Out, passed to Kodak but even they (c2002) decided to exit from photoprocessing because of the effect digital was having on their conventional film business. Kodak developed different ways of selling film, paper and chemical products via contracts including the supply of equipment and quality control to e.g. film processing facilities within multi-product retail stores. Their silver halide colour paper is also used in "digital print processors" where customers insert memory cards etc, select the required size and number of prints and then receive 'true' photographic prints with improved dye stability compared in ink jet.

Much of the latter part of this Gratispool story has come to me from Farquhar McKenzie, a former SupaSnapS and Gratispool UK Director, who moved from the Finglas Laboratories, Dublin, to International Photofinishers at St Margarets Place, Glasgow, then to Dixons Photo at Stevenage and thence to Kodak, at their Processing Laboratories at Hemel Hempstead. Farquhar subsequently moved through the Eastman Kodak organisation; its EAMER Photofinishing business took him into Europe (and wider global responsibilities) and to some of the Qualex managed laboratories in the US.

A number of ex-employees of Gratispool naturally moved to careers with similar photoprocesssing companies e.g Klick (still trading, Dec. 2006), Colorama (still trading), BonusPrint (still trading), Truprint (still trading) and Photo Trade Processing (PTP), which subsequently became Dixons Photo Processing before they too exited the business.

By this dispersion of quality photofinising operatives, Gratispool's legacy was to influence most of the photo' processing businesses in the UK and these ex-employees enjoy their affectionate title of the Gratispool "Mafia". The Friends Reunited web site, with three Gratispool contact groups, shows the enduring friendships created while working for Gratispool.

The red and blue envelopes (below, left) date from June 1936 and August 1936 respectively.

The slogan is "Snap it with a FREE FILM !" but the free film offer is qualified inside the envelope where it states "A FREE FILM with every order over 1/10d" (9p). Film developing cost 6d (2.5p) and prints 2d (0.8p) each, so the order needed to be for at least the d&p of an 8 exposure film.

The Gratispool Co. price list alongside is believed to also date from around 1936. Notice films are referred to as 'spools', so film developing cost 6d (2.5p) 'per spool'.

More print envelopes from 37 Isles Lane, Leeds 11.

Reading from the extreme left:
July 1937,
June 1938,
Date unknown.

Gratispool print envelope from June 1949.

The address is Gratispool Co Ltd, William Street, Glasgow C3. The slogan is now "Keeps Your Camera Active."

This envelope is dated April 1953 and the address is still 207 William Street, Glasgow, C3.

It bears the slogan "Don't Buy FILMS! Gratispool MEANS FREE FILMS".

The envelope no longer offers a hand colouring service and also no longer qualifies the free film offer as only applying to min. orders of 1s/10d (see above).

All the above print envelopes, apart from the one dated 1953, offered coloured prints from black & white negatives. This would have been a hand colouring service, as described on my colour printing page and illustrated here. The price to produce a postcard sized hand coloured enlargement is shown in the (1936 ?) price list (above) as 9d (3.75p), whereas a black & white postcard print cost only 2d (0.8p).

The later envelopes say that contact prints can be undertaken in the winter period (November to April inclusive) if desired. This offer continues throughout (at least) the rest of the 1950s. Whether these 'contact' prints were genuinely 'contact prints', or merely smaller, hence lower cost, prints still made by reflection projection printing, is uncertain. Pure contact printing would not be possible with opaque paper negatives so it is assumed that the negatives were projection printed in the same way Gratispool produced their postcard size prints, but to a 1:1 image size that reduced printing paper costs and so reduced the overall processing charge.

To the left is a small warning slip enclosed with pictures within one of the above envelopes.

The 31°Scheiner film speed (100ASA) was considered quite high speed in the 1950s and box camera were pre-set by their makers to give rather more exposure than necessary with 100ASA film if the light was very bright. Even so, the advice to "only take distant views in dull weather..." seems unnecessarily pessimistic and may have contributed to failures, or at least dull and uninteresting pictures, without the benefit of shadows being cast by clear sunlight.

Possibly Gratispool found it difficult to print dense paper negatives by reflected light and so the warning may have been as much to help Gratispool's printers as it was to help the users of the film.

This print envelope (left) is from July 1957 and contains some of my pictures from a holiday in Blackpool which demonstrate the framing errors and camera shake I suffered with my first camera, my VP Twin.

The address is the familiar one of Gratispool, St. Margaret's Place, Glasgow C1 (see photograph at the top of this web page).

The slogan is "Don't buy Films ! Gratispool means FREE FILMS."

Developing and printing costs are now 5/- for 8 an exposure film, 6/- for a 12 exposure film and 9/- for a 16 exposure film (25p, 30p & 45p). These charges can be interpreted as developing costing 1/- (5p) with postcard size prints costing 6d each (2.5p) and 3½"x3½" enlargements from square negatives costing 5d each (2p). Thus, prices more than doubled over the 22 years from 1935.

Probably dating from around 1957 is this undated letter was sent accompanying first Free Films sent on request to would be users of the Gratispool service. Directors of The Gratispool Co.Ltd. are named as G.W.Stead and E.Stead.

To view the full letter and its text, click here or on the image left.

The Gratispool print envelope scans below were sent to me by William Wilson. He has two blue envelopes. The one shown here (ref: c252) is dated 24th July 1956 and another, looking much the same (ref: c273), is dated 6th May 1960. The orange envelope (ref: c628) is dated 8th January 1959.

The slogan is "Tell Your Friends" - "The Best Developing & Printing Service in the World"
The address is St. Margaret's Place • Glasgow • C.1

If e.g. there were any negatives which were not suitable for printing, Gratispool enclosed a Credit Note with your returned prints which could be used as part-payment of the next d&p or reprint order. The one shown below left is worth 9d (4p) and probably dates from 1957. Postcard size enlargements (black & white of course) are priced at 6d (2.5p) from any make of (rectangular) roll film negative. Square negatives are printed to 3.5"x3.5" at 5d (2p) each.

The paragraph to the right of the Developing and Printing Charges (5/-, 9/- and 6/-) reads "All Gratispools prepared before 1956 have 'Exposed' lables with different prices. Please ignore. Gratispool charges now as adjoining".

In 1957 the Gratispool 'Ultra Rapid' film was credited with a speed of 100ASA in daylight and 25ASA in Tungsten light. This implies the film was more sensitive to blue than to red light i.e. orthochromatic (not equally sensitive to all visible wavelengths i.e. not panchromatic).

Immediately left is a carton containing a 120 size film for distribution within the UK. Extreme left are 620 and 127 size films.

Perhaps the backing only has numbering for 8 on 120 as the box end (left) is clearly marked 3¼x2¼ (inches). It is says G20.

It bears the instruction in both English and Dutch S.African: This Film Must be sent to Free Film Services, PO Box 6.877, Johannesburg for developing & printing.

Possibly this film is a link with Norman Adler, but the mystery remains unresolved because his daughter believes her father never had a Johannesburg office.

The film itself is date stamped on its reverse (non-sensitised) side, -9 APR 1962. Notice that the film leader is marked 'High Speed' despite it having a speed rating of only 100ASA. The backing paper is equipped with 3 sets of numbers (see below) permitting 8exp., 12exp. or 16exp. on the 120 roll film.

The film spool ends (far left) have stuck-on labels, presumably so that Gratispool could load their film onto other film manufacturer's spools (though the spool illustrated here has no identifying marks beneath its labels).

The yellow backing paper on this later film suggests it was a more panchromatic emulsion than in 1957 (see red film backing paper in pictures above).

The gummed label (left) was meant to be stuck around the exposed film to prevent it unwinding.

It shows the processing cost to be 5/6d for 8 exp. (27.5p), 7/6d for 12 exp. (37.5p) and 9/6d for 16 exp. (47.5p), presumably made up of 1/6d to develop the film (7.5p) and then 6d (2.5p) for each postcard sized print.

Far left: In 1964 the cost of postcard prints was still 6d each (2.5p), but developing now cost 2/- (shillings i.e. 10p), an increase from 1/6d in 1962 (see above).

Left: the reverse of the paper emulsion 'film', dating its manufacture to 15th September 1964. Also left, the backing paper lead end, showing a date of 15th September 1966, which is presumably the 'use by' date.

Gratispool Free Film for black & white pictures from around 1965. A 125ASA panchromatic, believed to be a conventional celluloid base - no longer paper. But the carton still says "This film MUST be sent to Gratispool Ltd, Glasgow, C1, for developing and printing".

If the film was a conventional celluloid base, then anyone could develop and print the negatives. But no doubt Gratispool guarded the source of the film so that best developing time & temperature would be unknown except to themselves and any other appointed agents. Also, only by returning the film to Gratispool for processing did the user get another "Free Film".

These small green envelopes were supplied by Gratispool, around the mid-1960s, to make for easier ordering of colour prints, enlargements and duplicate transparencies. I believe similar envelopes, but coloured yellow, were supplied for ordering b&w reprints.

"Let Gratispool Colour Club do the processing." This 'Club' was announced in 1960 and by mid-1961 it was operating from the 'New Colour Laboratories', Mart Street, Glasgow, C.1.

Using Gratispool's colour services automatically made you a member of the Colour Club. Gratispool advertised that their Colour Club offered a really special service, "new pleasure at less cost." Gratispool "always endeavours to give customers complete satisfaction with the highest quality and lower prices too." "Films are on the way back to you in 36 hours."

These are similar reprint envelopes to the above, but for black & white negatives. The scans were sent to me by Keith Long. At the time these envelopes were in use, 1962-63, Gratispool were still using their paper negative film and so the ordering instructions make a clear distinction between Gratispool negatives and Celluloid Negatives.

The enlargement prices on the reverse of this packet refer to 'Unmounted' (left hand column), 3 from each negative (centre column) and 'Mounted' (presumably each print, right hand side column).

Another Gratispool envelope scan from Keith Long.

This combines a postage-paid envelope with an equipment order form, as its reverse (see left) has a space to define what item(s) is/are to be sent and whether a cheque or Postal Order (PO) is enclosed. Also, whether the purchase is for cash or via a deposit and 38, 52 or 104 weekly payments.

It's interesting that anyone looking at the envelope would know that a PO might be inside. One wonders how many went astray in those less criminal times.

The pictures of the box camera (left & above) were sent by Linda Preston. She purchased it from a charity shop. It is clearly labelled 'Gratispool Camera' in the top centre of the octagonal lens surround, complete with Gratispool's logo at the bottom, below the lens.

To the right of the lens it says 'use filter for sunny distant views and seaside bathing scenes' referring to a built-in orange filter for cloudscapes on black & white film. To the left of the lens is an adjuster for near & distant focussing. From the condition of the camera, and the fact that it contained a Gratispool film made in Sept 1964 (use by Sept '66), I suspect it dates from the 1950s.

Gerry Connolly (AKA Mr Coronet) tells me it is a rebranded Coronet Conway 'Popular', actually made by Standard Cameras Ltd., Birmingham, "who were part of Coronet's empire".

The Coronet Conway can be seen at this website which shows the pictures (left). Gratispool must have had an agreement to rebrand & sell the Conway as a 'Gratispool Camera' as a marketing tool.

Coronet made a box camera named 'Conway' between the 1930s and 1955 but with several face-lifts that changed its appearance. I believe this one is the final appearance, so the Gratispool Camera might date from the early to mid 1950s.

These leaflets advertise cine and still (mostly budget) photographic outfits. They are undated but the leaflet to the extreme LHS seems earliest, possibly pre-1965, while the other two most likely date from 1967 or (RHS) early 1968. If the gentleman on the covers is the same, then there might be even more years between them. Someone has e-mailed to suggest he was Gratispool's General Manger, Mr Kempa or Kemper, from the US.

The right hand one has the illustrations, below, of several Gratispool shops at night.

Geoff Welding, a retired commercial photographer in Cheshire, e-mailed to say "Gratispool must have also been offering a free album in the mid to late 1950s instead of a Gratispool film and because of this I bought Ilford 120 size b&w film as I preferred to have the free album. I think I paid five shillings (25p) for eight post card size prints - not sure if the return post was extra or included. The Album in my case was for rectangular postcard sized photographs."

Thanks for sending me one of your spare albums to illustrate here, Geoff.

This album records the marriage of 'Janet & Eric' on Saturday March 19th 1960, 2:30pm, at St Mary's Church, Smethwick. There are also colour prints of two middle aged ladies (1960) at their bungalow 'The Haven' at Old Storridge & some b&w holiday pictures on the Isle of Wight and Southsea.

A young man named Adrian features in a few of the snaps, aged 14.

If anyone knows of Adrian, I'd be delighted to pass this album on to him.

As with their black & white films, Gratispool seemingly allowed around 2 years between the date of mailing their colour film and its official expiry date.

The small metal 8mm film cannister (see left), is sized 54mm diameter by 20mm deep, and was supported in its return postage box by a piece of stiff card. As received, the box also contained a gurantee 'certificate' as part of an exposure guide. The illustrated film, with an expiry date of January 1970, was accompanied by a note to the effect that the customer had sent 3d (1.25p) too little with his last order but Gratispool trusted the customer to pay the extra on his next order.

A later 8mm film, expiry date March 1970, contains a new price list where all film & processing prices have significantly increased "due to devaluation and other increased costs." The cost of processing an 8mm cine film, incl. a replacement, increased from 19s/11d (£1) to 22s/9d (£1.14p). Super 8mm cine film was available (from 1968) with an all in charge of 25s/9d (£1.29p). An Instamatic 126 cartridge (20exp) & processing cost 18s/9d (94p) and a 35mm 36exp transparency film cost 24s/6d (£1.23p).

Thanks to an e-mail exchange with Ian Woodward, I found that Gratispool were offering the supply and processing of Kodachrome II cine film in parallel with their own (Dynachrome) cine film by 1967. They offered 2 rolls of 8mm for 33/8d (£1.68p), including the processing costs of one of the two. By 1969 or 1970 Gratispool offered Super 8 Kodachrome II (the Super 8 amateur cine film format was introduced by Kodak in April 1965). Super 8 Gratispool (Dynachrome) was advertised in 1968.

It was unusual for an independent processor to be entrusted with the processing of Kodachrome, as Kodak believed it necessary for them to carry out all processing of their complex (non-substantive) Kodachrome film. Hence, Kodachrome had previously only been sold inclusive of the processing cost.

The availability of Kodachrome non-process paid was the result of a Board of Trade Monopolies Commission report (April 1966) which found that Kodak were maintaining an artificial monopoly by only selling their film process-paid. Since Gratispool's US Dynachrome was also non-substantive and Kodak supplied Gratispool with chemicals to enable Dynachrome processing in the UK, it was sensible that Gratispool should process Kodachrome once it was being sold exclusive of its processing cost. In fact, because of their Dynachrome experience and equipment, Gratispool were the only organisation able to take advantage of processing Kodachrome once it became available non-process paid, so the Monopolies Commission report was largely ineffective. Its ineffectiveness was further reinforced when it became clear that many photographers were happier buying their film process paid and not have to involve themselves in a separate transaction to get their film processed.

An entry in 'Photography' magazine for June 1967 marks the date from which certain daylight-type Kodachrome films became available at prices exclusive of processing. Such films were boldly distinguished by a black stripe on the carton. Films concerned (and Kodak recommended prices) were Kodachrome-X, 126 size, at 12s (60p) with separate processing recommended price 9s.3d (46p); Kodachrome II, 35mm, 20 exposure at 12s with separate processing 9s.3d; 36 exposure 16s.10d (84p) with processing 13s.9d (69p); Kodachrome II 8mm at 16s.10d, with processing costing 7s.9d (39p). The Gratispool offer of 2 off 8mm Kodachrome cine films, including the processing of one, for £1.68p (see above) undercut Kodak's recommended price (£2.07p) by nearly 20%.

To take advantage of the new situation, Richard Stead and Ron Houslip arranged with FINA petrol stations that Kodachrome film be offered at a discount through their filling stations, as a premium offer. This started well enough but ran into trouble with Kodak who objected to the fact that Gratispool were not making it sufficiently clear (in their view) that processing was by Gratispool and not Kodak. This may explain why, by around 1970, all Gratispool 8mm film boxes had the Kodachrome name obliterated with white tape (see illustration, courtesy of Ian Woodward).

Two Gratispool leaflets donated by Brian Wilkinson, giving fault finding advice to colour transparency film users. They suggest what went wrong if results are poor.

The leaflet alongside is possibly the later, as it contains advice on "Choice of Transparencies for Printing". The Gratispool 1965 'Colour Photography' leaflet gives a price of 2/6d (12.5p) per en-print from a colour transparency, perhaps £1.50p in present value.

Keith Long e-mailed with reminiscence of the Nescafé promotion for a free colour slide film that you sent to Gratispool, Glasgow, for processing, together with about 25/- (£1.25p). In return you received your processed slides and another film.

Keith remembers that the Nescafé offer saved you an initial 10/- (50p) outlay to obtain your first film. Keith thought this film was still 25ASA Dynachrome and I have since had this confirmed. Later Gratispool changed to Ferraniacolor reversal film, which was rated at 25ASA in 1965. It was later manufactured by 3M and was much improved by them, becoming (officially) 50ASA (CR50), though Gratispool seemingly advertised it as 64ASA (see below). Films marked "International Colourslide" were Dynachrome but "Gratispool International", and "Free Film Service" for slides were all CR-50.