Tullis Russell Advertising from the 1930s to 1960s

Little did I know when I went to trawl through the product folders this morning for this month’s blog how close to home it would lead me.

As usual, I picked a folder at random and flicked through it until something caught my eye. Today I was drawn to a series of advertisements for the Tullis Russell company. Off I go onto the internet to do some research with the first port of call being to see if the company is still trading. The great news for me is that it is and they have an excellent company website (https://www.tullisrussell.com/) which includes a two-minute film clip about their history.

Tullis Russell originally started out in 1809 as R Tullis and Co. and was founded by Robert Tullis. Based in Scotland with mills at Auchmuty (1809) and a new mill built at Rothes (1836) in Fife, they manufactured a wide range of papers.

We now have to go back in time and follow another thread in the story. In 1809 Thomas Russell started a successful paper-making business (Thomas Russell and Company Ltd.). In 1836 he bought the Rothes Mill in Fife as part of his business expansion. David Russell (Thomas’s great-grandson) inherited the business from his father on his death and in 1906 merged with Tullis and Company to form Tullis Russell and Co. Ltd., making them one of Scotland’s largest paper manufacturers.

Advertisement from 1938

In 1925 David was able to buy out the Tullis family to become the sole partner. David instigated a company house magazine in 1929 called the “Rothmill Quarterly Magazine”.

David became Sir David in 1946 when he was knighted by King George VI. Although David was a very successful businessman, he was also a renowned amateur botanist and photographer (his collection of over 18,000 photographs now resides in the University of St. Andrews). He was a great philanthropist and in 1947 he set up the Russell Trust (a charity donating significantly to local charities, primarily in Fife, Scotland). The trust owns about 30% of the shares in the Tullis Russell company.

Selection of advertisements spanning 1940 to the end of the 1950s

On another thread, in 1865 Leigh Slater founded Paper Coating in Cheddleton, Cheshire with the business expanding to Bollington in 1875 (hence the “close to home” feel the blog has). Henry and Leigh Slater were prominent businessmen in Cheshire and owned a number of businesses in the area. In 1984 “Coated Papers” became part of the Tullis Russell Company.

Advertisements from 1950 through to the 1960s

The next and perhaps most important step in the company’s history was the formation of the Employee Ownership Scheme proposed by the Russell family in 1985. By 1996 a management buyout purchased 70% of the shares, putting them into an Employee Trust.

The company headquarters are now based in Bollington, Cheshire but they also have factories in South Korea and China.

Our series of adverts come from the 1930s through to the 1960s and hopefully illustrate the proud history of the company.

Richard Roberts