Cooke Lenses - Taylor, Taylor and Hobson
The history of the company which manufactures Cooke lenses. Some of their equipment and products can be seen in museums.
Company Names
1886 - T.S. and W. Taylor
1887 - Taylor, Taylor & Hobson: Herbert William Hobson joined the company.
1931 - partnership with Bell & Howell of Chicago
1938 - Taylor Hobson (after the Taylor brothers' deaths)
1945 - Rank Taylor Hobson. (Rank Organisation)
1996 - Schroder Ventures acquired Taylor Hobson from the Rank Organisation
1998 - Cooke Optics became an independent company in July
2004 - Taylor Hobson acquired by AMETEK Inc in June
Directories
 Advertisement from Wright's Directory of Leicestershire, 1887-88, p635. | The first form of the company in Slate Street: T.S. & W. Taylor |
 Slate Street, near the railway station, 2013
|
|
 Advertisement from Wright's Directory of Leicester
and Twelve Miles Round, 1889-90, p571. | Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, Slate Street. |
 London Gazette, 1896
| Notice of dissolution of Taylor, Taylor and Hobson, signed by T. Smithies Taylor, William Taylor and Herbert W. Hobson. Obviously this did not mean the end of the company. It seems it was the end of Herbert William Hobson's involvement with it. William Stephen Hobson (who may have been Herbert William Hobson's second cousin) worked for the company in later years. More information about the Hobson family. |
 Bennett's Business Directory for Leicestershire, 1901-02, p71 | Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, Stoughton Street. |
 Wright's Directory of Leicester, 1903, p125 | Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, 100, Stoughton Street. |
 Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland, 1908, p426 | Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, Stoughton Street, with a telephone number and a telegraphic address (TA - for telegrams) of "Lenses, Leicester". |
 Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland, 1916 p481 | Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, Stoughton Street, with two telephone numbers and a telegraphic address (TA - for telegrams) of "Lenses, Leicester". |
 Kelly's Directory, 1954, p890
| |
 The Times, Wednesday, Oct 30, 1963, p2 | The advertisement for a lens designer mentions the use of electronic computers. |
 Kelly's Directory of the City of Leicester, 1966, p635
| The company has the name Rank Taylor Hobson. |
Academy Award, 2012
In a ceremony in Beverly Hills in February 2013, Cooke Optics received an Academy Award of Merit® (Oscar® Statuette) for the 2012 Scientific and Technical Awards:
To Cooke Optics Limited for their continuing innovation in the design, development and manufacture of advanced camera lenses that have helped define the look of motion pictures over the last century.
Since their first series of motion picture lenses, Cooke Optics has continued to create optical innovations decade after decade. Producing what is commonly referred to as the "Cooke Look," these lenses have often been the lens of choice for creative cinematographers worldwide.
Maps
Locations of the first Taylor Taylor & Hobson in Leicester.
References
Wright's Directory of Leicestershire, 1887-88, p635.
London Gazette, 1896
Bennett's Business Directory for Leicestershire, 1901-02, p71
Wright's Directory of Leicester, 1903, p125
Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland, 1908, p426
Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland, 1916 p481
Kelly's Directory of Leicester, 1954: Trades & Professional Directory subsection p890
The Times, Wednesday, Oct 30, 1963, p2
Kelly's Directory of the City of Leicester, 1966: Alphabetical (Commercial & Professional) p635
Maxwell, Jonathan and Wormell, Prudence M.J.H., "Charles Gorrie Wynne. 18 May 1911 – 1 October 1999", Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, November 1, 2001, 47, pp497-514. There is a description of working for Taylor Hobson in the 1930s.
Academy Award
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: 2012 Scientific and Technical Awards
Camera lens maker Cooke Optics, of Thurmaston, Leicestershire, receives Academy Award, Leicester Mercury, February 20, 2013
Last updated 12th August, 2013.