Lanston Camera

This is a multimedia story of a Lanston Camera, Which I acquired in 1979 from Avro/Hawker Siddeley, who were based in Woodford, Cheshire. The camera has a unique history, it was originally purchased during WWII to aid in UK wartime aircraft production, primarily in relation to fighter aircraft and bombers. It was subsequently purchased into Avro at Woodford, which later became Hawker Siddeley whish was itself merged into British Aerospace in 1977. Post the Second World War the Woodford facility was engaged on the Vulcan and Nimrod projects among other aircraft development.
However, the camera has a far greater history going back to the late 1800s when Thomas Lanston formed his company in Philadelphia in the United States. Thomas Lanston's company was engaged in pioneering typography machinery development, which led eventually to the Lanston Cameras development which has a tantalising history based around photography, photo mechanical reproduction, cartography and typography. I have the original lens and lens plate in our family’s possession which is now been donated to the Avro Heritage Museum at Woodford. Following my purchase of the camera in 1979 this was operational through to the year 2000, until its scrapping and for the last 24 years the lens and lens plate has been in my family's possession.