GWR jigsaws
Click or tap to see larger images of these sheets
From large Chad Valley advertising sheets, circa 1929 and 1930
In addition to the ever growing range of books available for purchase, the Great Western Railway published a range of jigsaw puzzles starting in the early 1920s. About 44 different jigsaw puzzle titles were issued before ceasing in 1939. The puzzles varied in the number of pieces from 'about 150' and 'about 200' which sold for 2 shillings and 6 pence (2/6 or Half a Crown) each. A few larger puzzles were also published having either 375 (these boxes didn't say 'about') or 'about 400' pieces at 5 shillings (5/-). Just one jigsaw was ever produced with 'about 300' pieces (King George V) which sold for 3/6. Whilst still considered to be a bit expensive at the time, these prices only just covered the cost of production, but publicity rather than profit was the driver.
In about 1927 they also published three versions of what they called a 'Puzzle Train' Click or tap link to see a gallery of adverts for these puzzles , which was made for them by Chad Valley. That series consisted an engine (King George V), a composite coach, and a combined (although smaller) set of both engine and coach. They were made up of a number of pieces ½inch thick which locked together and were fitted with wheels so they could be pulled along.
As the number of puzzles increased so did the variety of the subjects covered, ranging from named trains and engines to Cathedrals, historical scenes and castles. Subjects were chosen by the Stationery & Printing or the Publicity departments of the GWR, the artwork being either specially commissioned or adapted from existing poster illustrations. The boxes containing the jigsaws also differed in artwork and design over time and there is a special page dedicated to describing all the different boxes used.
Jigsaw production
All of the puzzles were manufactured for the Great Western Railway by The Chad Valley Co.Ltd. in Harborne, whose name is included on the box labelling. They were all of a high quality, being made from 3-ply wood, although the thickness and quality of the wood did sometimes vary as did the quality of cutting on rare occasions. The pieces are very varied in shape and size as the puzzles were cut out by hand four at a time. Some very delicate pieces could result, and 'false starts' can sometimes be seen in the cuts when a puzzle has been assembled. Different operators seem to have developed their own personal style of cutting over time and this helps explain the slightly flexible number of pieces each box actually contained.Every jigsaw was checked for completeness and a packing slip initialled by an overseerClick or tap link to see some examples which came with our jigsaws was put in the box as confirmation. The wording on the packing slips varied over time with three different ones being known. The later slips promised that should you lose or damage a piece they would make a replacement on receipt of the immediately surrounding pieces, a stamped envelope for reply, and three penny stamps to cover the cost. These small pieces of paper were often lost or discarded but a number of puzzles in our collection still contain their original slip.
The September 1931 edition of the Great Western Railway Magazine carried a four page illustrated article detailing a visit to the Chad Valley factory in Harborne. See some more photographs from the article by clicking or tapping on the thumbnail image.
Jigsaw range
Although the number of subjects covered is generally accepted as being 44, certain puzzles were re-issued in different sizes (for example Royal Route to the West - 200 and 150 pieces), or sometimes under a slightly different name (such as Beau Nash's Bath and Bath), and also in different styles of box, all of which serves to complicate matters. There are many examples of re-issued puzzles such as these in our collection.
The jigsaw range was sometimes promoted by the inclusion in the box, or in other publications, of a single page leaflet listing jigsaws available at the time. Most examples of these leaflets are in our collection. They were highlighted as being The Best Jig-Saw Value in the World which could, amongst the usual outlets, be obtained from The Stationery Superintendant, Great Western Railway, Paddington Station, London, W.2.
As the range of publications and jigsaws increased a small booklet 'The Literature of Locomotion' was produced to be included in the jigsaw boxes. We have many examples of these booklets in our collection dating from 1928 to 1938. This promotional material provides a useful reference, although sometimes being undated it can also serve to confuse.
Ever mindful of a sales opportunity, with the exception of the earliest editions, each of these booklets contained an order form with which you could order more books or jigsaws. In the earlier booklets, up to and including July 1934, the order form is addressed to either The Superintendant of the Line, Paddington Station, London, W.2 or The Stationery Superintendant, G.W.R., 66 Porchester Road, London, W.2. According to the introductory notes, sales of jigsaws were more than half a million in 1932, rising to three quarters of a million just a few years later. It is believed that total sales eventually exceeded one million puzzles. Increasing sales of publications in general must have led to a rationalisation of departments as the November 1934 order form is now addressed to The Stationery Superintendant, G.W.R., 159 Westbourne Terrace, London, W.2, later changing to number 167. This art deco style buildingClick or tap link to see this building
when newly completed is situated close to Paddington Station and was designed in 1933 by the GWR's chief architect at the time, P.E.Culverhouse. The Porchester Road building dates from 1903 and was the Stationery and Ticket printing Depot for the GWR. Both buildings survive and have been redeveloped as multiple occupancy office blocks.
Reference sources
The information on this and the following pages is based upon our own research using information held in our collection. There may therefore be errors and omissions, but we believe that the results are as good as they are likely to be. It has not been possible to positively state the month in which puzzles were either released or withdrawn as those events often did not tally with dates stated on contemporary advertising material. Hence the years of publication are at best an indication that a particular puzzle was available, or withdrawn, at some point during that year. Where original paintings have been attributed to particular artists it is the result of our best research and should not be taken as being definitive. Sometimes advertisements were published with not only subtly changing titles but on at least one occasion quoting the wrong number of pieces, and dates quoted in reference sources have been found to be contradictory on occasion. Certain puzzles were re-issued in different sizes (for example Royal Route to the West - 200 and 150 pieces), or sometimes under a slightly different name (such as Beau Nash's Bath and Bath) and also in different styles of box, all of which serves to complicate matters. There are many examples of re-issued puzzles such as these in our collection. We have therefore developed our own table showing the various dates of publicationClick or tap link to see the date table
(pdf document format) which will be updated should new information come to light.
Other reference sources do exist. Both the Science Museum and the V&A hold a few GWR jigsaws in their collections for example, but they are not all accurately dated. However, the books The Chad Valley promotional jigsaw puzzles written and published by Tom Tyler in 2017 and Go Great Western - a History of GWR Publicity written by R.B.Wilson and revised by Colin Judge which was published by David St John Thomas and distributed by David & Charles in 1987 have proved useful for comparison with our research, although they have not been used as source material and they don’t always tally with our findings.
In 1933, the December issue of the Great Western Railway Magazine carried a useful article describing the then jigsaw rangeClick or tap link to reveal our hidden page showing a transcript of this article and recording the numbers of each current and obsolete title sold to date. This article is used as the main reference source where we note the number of copies an individual jigsaw title sold.
Our jigsaw collection
In our memorabilia collection we have an example of every jigsaw title published for sale by the GWR. These are illustrated on the following pages, the boxes are not shown to the same scale as their puzzle however. The number of pieces quoted for each puzzle is that shown on the box and is not necessarily the actual number of pieces in that particular puzzle. The assembled dimensions of each puzzle are given to the nearest ¼ or ⅛ inch - and yes, we have made each of the puzzles up. The dates of publication and artist for each jigsaw are the results of our best research but they should not be taken as being definitive. Sometimes advertisements were published with not only subtly changing titles but on at least one occasion quoting the wrong number of pieces, and dates quoted in reference sources have been found to be contradictory on occasion. We have therefore developed our own table showing the various dates of publicationClick or tap link to see the date table
(pdf document format) and source references which is based on materials held in our collection and is updated whenever new information comes to light.
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All the versions of any particular jigsaw in our collection are grouped together, and presented alphabetically within ascending year of first publication.
The title above each puzzle is shown as it appears either on the guide picture or box of our example and may differ from that by which the puzzle is referred to in advertisements or other publications.
Navigate between pages using the drop down list on the right of the secondary menu bar
Click or tap on any jigsaw thumbnail to see a larger image.
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