Kentmere, then as now, thanks to tight managerial and financial controls, preserved its autonomy and continued as the only small privately-owned photographic coating operation in the UK. As a company it is unusual in that it has always maintained a fierce independence, which possibly has something to do with its origins. Whereas other photographic paper manufacturers originated in the Victorian age as plate producers, Kentmere was set up in the Edwardian era by two Windermere chemists, purely to produce photographic papers.
One illustration that may give an idea of the economic climate of the early days is from when the Kentmere factory was first operated. The entire plant was installed in 1906 by a firm of London engineers, V. L. Scott & Co, for a total price of £970.00. Difficulties when starting up any new factory are to be expected, but an early one was in connection with storing the coated printing-out paper. This needed special storage facilities, and although this store had been on the 'shopping list', Scotts had failed to install it. Asked about the ommision, Scotts replied that they had fitted out several photographic paper factories, and as they had all failed within a matter of months, they thought they would save Kentmere some needless expense! Kentmere's survival to this day must also have had much to do with its adaptation to conditions which would have floored other managements. During WW1 Kentmere was instructed to close down paper production, and was left wondering how to survive. By an excellent piece of lateral thinking they went into jam production! The kettles used for emulsion preparation were ideally suited to bulk jam-making, and Cumbria had a bumper damson season in 1914. So successful was the venture that it continued through the War and for some years afterwards, and it is recorded that in 1919 one company was anxious to order 100,000 jars. When WW2 broke out, they were even contacted by old customers, anxious to find out if they were going to make any more of the jam.
