David lawton

This is a multi-media story of a Lanston Monotype Camera, which I acquired in 1979 from British Aerospace, who were based in Woodford, Cheshire. The camera has a unique history, it was originally purchased during World War II for UK aircraft production, in relation to Lancaster bombers and Spitfires. It was subsequently brought into Avro, which later became British Aerospace, at their Woodford facility, and was engaged on the Vulcan and Nimrod projects. 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. Who was engaged in pioneering typography machinery development, which led eventually to the Lanston Camera development, which has a tantalising history based around photography, photo mechanical reproduction, cartography and typography. I have the lens and lens plate, in our family’s possession for the last eighteen years, which is the only part of the camera in existence, which is operated through to 1999.