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W. E. Berry Ltd (1888 - 2004)

 Organisation

Dates

  • Existence: 1888 - 2004

Biography

The W.E. Berry Ltd printing company was founded by William Edward Berry in the early 1900s after taking over his father’s printing company and splitting with his business partner. The original company had been founded by William Berry in 1888 at 13 Currer Street in Bradford to print advertising posters. Business soon started to specialise in the railway and entertainment sector, specially the circus industry and over time became one of the most significant printers of entertainment posters in the UK.

In the 1920s the company started to print posters for the film industry after W.E. Berry met Fred Martin at Paramount Pictures. This developed into a lucrative partnership with Berry becoming one of only three companies in Britain to specialise in printing large format posters. Successive contracts with Disney and Columbia arrived, turning Berry into one of the leading producers and distributors of film posters in the UK. Some of the most famous posters include Star Wars (1977) and Flash Gordon (1980).

The mid of the twentieth century saw the production of Berry’s most beautiful and sought posters in the entertainment sector and the company continued experiencing success until the end of the late 1990s when it employed around 140 people, including Chief Illustrator Leon Crossley and a team of freelance commercial artists. However, by the early twentieth century Berry’s fortunes started to turn and after heavy financial losses the company went into administration in 2004, ceasing business on the 4th day of February that year.

Found in 143 Collections and/or Records:

David Smart's Super Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.54
Scope and Contents

Battersea Park, London Summer Season. Colour illustration of female equestrian in long red gown and top hat riding a white horse, trapeze act on bottom left and clown and female face on centre right, also aerial act on crescent moon on top left corner, over a blue background and blue and white borders. Printed in England by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.

Dates: c1946 - 1999

David Smart's Super Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.136
Scope and Contents

Battersea Park. Colour illustration of female equestrian in long red gown and top hat riding a white horse, trapeze act on bottom left and clown and female face on centre right, also aerial act on crescent moon on top left corner, over a blue background. Printed in England by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.

Dates: c1946 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus, Cottle and Austen and Burnt Stub's Circus Programmes, c1900 - 2001

 Sub-Series
Reference code: 178K43.385-442
Scope and Contents

Gerry Cottle Circus programmes including Circus of Horrors, Cottle and Austen, Cottle-Chipperfield Circus, Continental Berlin Circus, Moscow State Circus and Gerry Cottle's Circus abroad.

Dates: c1900 - 2001

Gerry Cottle's Circus Poster, Magazine Programme, 1978 - 1979

 File
Reference code: 178K43.401
Scope and Contents Bradford programme. Six fold poster/programme with colour photograph of circus ring with acts and performers in circles around the edges on the front cover, year of the clown article with colour photographs, article on history of circus with black and white and colour photographs, show business on wheels article with colour photographs and poster inside with the same image as the front cover, two additional inserts, one contains the programme with a black and white photograph of Charlie...
Dates: 1978 - 1979

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, Tuesday 18 - Saturday 29 March 1980

 File
Reference code: 178K43.436
Scope and Contents Southampton. Six fold poster/programme with colour photograph of circus ring with acts and performers in circles around the edges on the front cover, year of the clown article with colour photographs, article on history of circus with black and white and colour photographs, show business on wheels article with colour photographs and poster inside with the same image as the front cover, additional insert programme, seaside special article with colour photographs on reverse. Printed by W. E....
Dates: Tuesday 18 - Saturday 29 March 1980

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.386
Scope and Contents

White, red and blue type on white background with name of circus and programme on the front. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd, Bradford.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Great Britain's Famous Sir Robert Fossett's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.357
Scope and Contents

Red and blue type on blue background and blue and white photograph of elepant standing on a ball on the front page, inside programme. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd, Bradford and the Winfield Press, Rugby, 2p.p.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Lord George Sanger Programme, c1943

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.571
Scope and Contents

Purple type and illustration of a galloping horse on off white background on front cover, inside programme and Sanger family facts on back cover. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd., Bradford, 2p.p.

Dates: c1943

Lord George Sanger Programme, 1944

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.572
Scope and Contents

Purple type and illustration of a galloping horse on off white background with note about the war and autograph on front cover, inside programme and purple and white photograph of Princess Alexandra visiting George Sanger's circus on back cover. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd., Bradford, 2p.p.

Dates: 1944

Lord George Sanger Programme, 1946

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.573
Scope and Contents

Blue type and illustration of a galloping horse on off white background on front cover, inside circus facts, programme in the centre and blue and white photograph of Princess Alexandra visiting George Sanger's circus on back cover. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd., Nesfield Printing Works, Bradford, 4p.p.

Dates: 1946

Lord George Sanger Programme, 1947

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.574
Scope and Contents

Purple type and illustration of a galloping horse on off white background with paragraph by George Sanger on front cover, inside circus facts, programme in the centre and purple and white photograph of Princess Alexandra visiting George Sanger's circus on back cover. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd., Bradford, 4p.p.

Dates: 1947

Peter Jay Presents Tower Circus Poster, c1930 - 1990

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.183
Scope and Contents

10th Jun to 31st October. White outline of blackpool tower, colour illustrations of a clown, elephants, a crocodile, a man swinging from a vine, six women in a waterfall and a chimpanzee in swimming trucks and a pool ring, photographs of The Chucklehounds and wrestler Big Daddy. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd.

Dates: c1930 - 1990

Posters, c1970 - 1979

 File
Reference code: 178R37
Scope and Contents

Circus poster.

Dates: c1970 - 1979

Posters, c1800 - 2011

 Series
Reference code: 178R47
Scope and Contents

A wide range of British and international circus and menagerie posters ranging from the 19th to the 21st century including Astley's Amphitheatre, Pablo Fanque, Polito, Bostock and Wombwell, Ducrow, Cooke, Hengler, Sanger, Smart, Gerry Cottle, Bertram Mills, Chipperfield's, Robert Brothers, Fossett, Blackpool Tower, Billy Russell, Belle Vue, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Austen Brothers and many more.

Dates: c1800 - 2011

Posters, c1887 - 2010

 Series
Reference code: 178R27
Scope and Contents

Circus, variety, pantomime and magic posters including Argyle theatre, Liverpool Empire, Blackpool Tower Circus, Robert Brothers, Austen Brothers, Sorcar, Vesta Tilley, Ken Dodd, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde and others.

Dates: c1887 - 2010

Programmes, c1800 - 2019

 Series
Reference code: 178K43
Scope and Contents

A collection of mainly British and international circus programmes and some variety and music hall programmes containing circus acts.

Dates: c1800 - 2019

Robert Brothers Circus Poster, c1980 - 1989

 Item
Reference code: 178R27.28
Scope and Contents

Nelson Carr Road recreation ground. Black type with red and blue border on white background. Printed by: W.E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.

Dates: c1980 - 1989

Sanger Circus Programmes, c1894 - 1999

 Sub-Series
Reference code: 178K43.549-585
Scope and Contents

Sanger Circus programmes including Lord George Sanger's Circus, Lord George Sanger and Pops Sanger Circus, Lord John Sanger's Circus and Sanger's Circus. Contain pantomime acts as well as circus performances in theatres venues.

Dates: c1894 - 1999

Smart Circus Posters, c1946 - 1999

 Sub-Series
Reference code: 178R47.52-140
Scope and Contents

Billy Smart's and David Smart's Circus posters.

Dates: c1946 - 1999

Super Circus '84 Poster, 1984

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.207
Scope and Contents

Peter Jay presents All New Super Circus '84, at Blackpool Tower. The Rodogels, The Coco-Tots. Colour illustrations of a clown and an elephant, black and white illustration of Blackpool Tower, photographs of the Water Spectaculer, seven clowns and wrestler Big Daddy, main background red, type multicoloured. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd.

Dates: 1984

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 140
Collection 3
 
Subject
Acrobats 24
Aerialists 45
Animal trainers 13
Animals 106
Art 1