1813
Thomas de la Rue’s first commercial venture was in 1813, when the first edition of Le Miroir Politique newspaper was published in Guernsey.
1821
Thomas de la Rue set up in London as a printer, stationer and fancy goods manufacturer.
1831
The modern playing card was evolved with the invention of a new process – the typographical method. Thomas de la Rue was awarded a Royal Letters Patent from King William IV for the manufacture of playing cards.
1838
To celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria, Thomas de la Rue printed a special golden edition of The Sun newspaper.
1846
In 1846 Warren De la Rue invented the envelope folding machine. In one hour the machine could produce 2,700 envelopes. It was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 held in Crystal Palace, London and at later exhibitions in New York and Paris.
1853
De La Rue was awarded the contract to print adhesive fiscal stamps for the UK’s Board of Inland Revenue. Not only the first stamps to be surface printed, they were also the first perforated stamps to be issued.
1855
In 1855, Thomas de la Rue began printing postage stamps – the Fourpenny Carmine – and obtained the contract for all Indian postal requirements. Contracts to print postage stamps for the Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Trinidad, Western Australia, Ceylon, Saint Helena, the Bahamas, Natal and St Lucia soon followed.
1860
Thomas de la Rue printed its first paper money – the Mauritius £5, £1 and 10 shilling notes.
1862
De La Rue supplied, to the Confederate States, the only American stamp ever to be produced abroad: the Five Cents Blue, adorned with the head of Jefferson Davis.
1872
The company printed its first greetings card and occupied a prestigious position in the history of the Christmas card, continuing publication of greeting cards until 1885.
1874
In 1874 De La Rue opened its new London factory, in Bunhill Row, designed by architects Parr & Strong.
1881
De La Rue developed the first practical fountain pens in 1881, which were later to be developed into the famous Onoto pen.
1896
In 1896 the family partnership converted into a private company and in 1921 the de la Rue family left the business and the company converted to public ownership.
1914
UK Treasury commissioned Thomas de la Rue to print £1 and 10 shilling notes at the outbreak of war. The Bank of England took over responsibility for the issue of sterling notes in 1925.
1930
1930 saw the Chinese government’s first order for currency: a vital customer for the next 18 years. In 1939 De La Rue built a factory in Shanghai to produce banknotes.
1940
On 11 September 1940 the company's Bunhill Row factories were destroyed in the Blitz. De La Rue quickly made arrangements to resume printing elsewhere and was able to honour all commitments.
1947
De La Rue listed on the London Stock Exchange on 27 March 1947.
1957
In 1957 De La Rue first marketed a banknote counting machine.
1961
Waterlow & Sons banknote and security printing business was acquired.
1967
De La Rue jointly developed and installed the world's first through-the-wall ATM at Barclays Bank in Enfield, UK.
Photo used with kind permission of Barclays Bank PLC
1969
De La Rue sold its playing card business to John Waddington.
1986
Bradbury Wilkinson was acquired in 1986 and a year later Amblehurst was acquired (later to become De La Rue Holographics).
1990
In 1990 De La Rue House in Basingstoke officially opened as the company’s UK headquarters and in 1991 the De La Rue Company plc became De La Rue plc.
1993
During 1993 De La Rue joined a consortium called Camelot Group plc which in 1994 was awarded the licence to operate the UK National Lottery.
1995
In 1995 De La Rue acquired the Portals Group plc which has manufactured banknote paper for the Bank of England since 1724.
1997
De La Rue acquired Harrison & Sons and Philips Cartes et Systèmes.
2003
In 2003 De La Rue signed a seven year contract to print and supply sterling for the Bank of England, taking over the Bank’s manufacturing operation.
2007
De La Rue won the Queen’s Award for Innovation for its StarChrome® banknote thread feature.
2009
De La Rue won a 10 year contract to produce the UK passport and the Bank of England renewed the contract to print sterling.
2010
De La Rue sold its interest in Camelot.
2012
The first banknote using De La Rue's Safeguard™ polymer substrate, the Fiji $5, was unveiled and entered circulation in January 2013.
2013
De La Rue celebrated its 200th anniversary.
2013
In April 2013, De La Rue won the Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation for its super wide Optiks™ banknote security thread with a clear window in the banknote, and the associated papermaking process.
