Order books of Porter Brothers', flag manufacturers, Liverpool.

The collection comprises of two large volumes containing details of the clients’ requirements, costs and often a diagram of the flag or banner. Although shipping companies are well represented in the order books, Porter’s made flags for international and national clients, from governments and organisations such as the Fiji Police and the Admiralty to companies such as Gillette and Bank of Ireland. The volumes cover the date span 1939-1998, but this includes repeat orders with previous clients, so they probably do not represent all the company’s orders during these years. The company was founded in 1905 by Herbert Gordon Porter to meet the large demand for flags from Liverpool’s shipping industry. It was based for many years at King’s Dock Mill, 34-39 Wapping, Liverpool. The company was acquired by Specialised Canvas Services in 2009 and moved to Royal Standard House, Birkenhead. Sources: http://www.flagsbyporters.co.uk/porters-history.php , accessed 30th January 2014 and Gore’s Street Directories.