ODAY, nothing remains of Charles Goodall’s Camden Works, where three-quarters of the playing cards printed in Britain were produced. However, the court card faces (shown above) have become household figures in casinos and salons around the world...

Above: The Goodall dynasty, from left, Charles, Josiah and Montague Goodall.

As a child, the founder of the dynasty, Charles Goodall (1785-1851), came to London from Northampton, and was apprenticed to J.W.Hunt, an old and established playing card manufacturer, in 1801.

The Goodall business was first established in Soho in 1820, printing playing cards and message cards. The earliest cards were traditional in appearance, and resemble those of Hunt. During the 1830s the firm expanded into premises in what was then Great College Street. The main factory lay behind the terrace in a building which had formerly been a gun factory and was later used for the production of steam engines. At around this time, Goodall started experimenting with 'modernised' and other court card designs which gradually evolved into those we are familiar with today.

Above: The Camden Works at its 1000-employee prime, producing over 2 million packs of playing cards anually.
The reduction of tax on playing cards in 1862 gave an immense stimulus to sales.

harles’ two sons joined the family firm. By the middle of the century, Goodall and its younger competitor Thomas De La Rue were between them producing two-thirds of all playing cards made in England. Fifty years later Goodall and Son were leading the market with annual production of over 2 million packs. In the early 1880s Goodall absorbed the firm of Reynolds & Co., acquiring their stock and equipment. Goodall also made cards for Victor Mauger in the USA, and the designs were copied by other American manufacturers.

Demand was outstripping production, and new premises were secured nearby. From the new factory in 1868 an additional range of high-quality stationery was launched, plus games, toys, fountain pens and even toilet paper. New presses in 1879 added a wide choice of multi-coloured calendars, Christmas and greetings cards and almanacs. In around 1885 Goodall set up LONDON PLAYING CARD CO., a subsidiary outlet for lower grade cards. Special Aces of Spades were used: Goodall also produced many special Aces or Jokers for advertising.

In 1898 the company became a 'limited' one, and this change was reflected in the lettering on the Ace of Spades. With World War I, the business climate deteriorated, and since no successors were suitably qualified, in 1922 Charles Goodall and Son was merged with De La Rue. The Camden Works were kept open until around 1929 and the Goodall name and brand names were still used until much later. Subsequently, the old buildings became run-down, were purchased by The Post Office and partially demolished in the mid 1970s.