Portals has a wonderful, long and proud history with over three centuries of paper making to its name. Built firmly on the strong foundations of our heritage, the same culture and ethos still exists today, one of manufacturing the highest quality security components and then delivering them all over the world. With an exciting future ahead, we look forward to another 300 years and more!
"Portals’ history instils a real sense of personal ownership in the business. It helps you to understand that you're not transient, you're not just passing through, that there is a place in history for the for the site and for the products that we make and that there is also along sustainable future ahead for us too."
Andrew Nash, Director of Bathford Manufacturing
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Henri Portal arrived in England and joined 'The White Paper Makers Company of England' at Stoneham Mills near Southampton
Henri Portal took English nationality and changed his name to Henry. Set up his first mill, Bere Mill in Whitchurch, later transferring business to Laverstoke Mill to increase capacity (now the home of Bombay Sapphire Gin)
First order received from Bank of England (est. 1694). First watermarked paper supplied
Bathford Mill first makes paper (previously the factory made corn, cloth, leather, flour). There are records of a mill on the site going back to the Domesday Book (1086)
Following a major fire in 1910, Bathford Mill reopens with a new paper machine – initially selling lightweight papers for bibles, dictionaries and encyclopaedias
Cylinder mould machines introduced into paper making process
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Portals
Bank of England moved its printing plant to an underground vault at Overton site during the Second World War
First banknotes with a security thread produced, still considered to be one of the most effective prevention against counterfeiting
Queen Elizabeth II visits the Portals mill in Laverstoke
Watermark highlights introduced. Also known as Electrotype watermarks, they create extreme light areas in the paper. This type of watermark complements the existing multi tonal watermark in the paper
Bathford Mill becomes part of the Portals business
Bathford begins producing cylinder mould security paper, a capability for which it is still a leader in the high security document industry
The Interpol Counterfeit Conference Resolution No. 9 (Madrid 1977) recommends that watermarks for banknotes should be: mould made, three-dimensional, multi-tonal, of adequate size & quality so that the subject is easily recognisable and not covered by printing
First windowed threads introduced. Portals pioneered the process where the thread appears on the surface at regular intervals, and a continuous thread is only visible when it can be viewed against the light.
De Le Rue acquired Portals Group plc.
Cornerstone® launched – corner folds are one of the primary reasons why a banknote is removed from circulation and Cornerstone was developed in response
Edgestone™ launched – responding to the market need for protecting the edges of banknotes and security documents against tears
Textmark™ launched – enabling the addition of personalised bright and/or dark text in the watermark design
Paper business sold by De La Rue with the Portals name resumed
Portals acquisition of Fedrigoni’s security business
