Mystery of the Caribonum Glassworks in Leyton *SOLVED*
The exact location of the Caribonum site in Leyton has now been identified and the surprising answer is that there never was a glassworks on this site. Caribonum made carbon paper and indelible black ink. However, the glass interest comes from the fact that the firm decided to make its own ink bottles and a new factory was built for this purpose at Alperton, Middlesex, alongside the Grand Union Canal. It was apparently designed by the same architect, Wallis, Gilbert & Partners as designed the Art Deco Leyton building. However, it must have been a too large investment just to make ink bottles so it must have been this factory that was taken over by the Key glassworks in 1926. Key specialised in small containers and perhaps it continued to make ink bottles for Caribonum. Key was subsequently absorbed into United Glass in 1962. Sadly the Leyton works is no longer there, and the Alperton factory has now been replaced by a council block. Presumably, computers more or less rendered carbon paper obsolete. Regarding the ink bottles I have one, unmarked called INDIAN INK on the label, the general name for a black carbon-based ink at that time. If anyone comes across a marked bottle I should be pleased to hear about it. Look also for the impression of a key on or near the base. My thanks to those who supplied information that helped solve this problem.