Taylor Hobson began in 1886 when brothers William and Thomas Smithies Taylor started a company to make lenses. William Taylor was the genius of the company and believed that it wasn't worth starting to make a product before you could measure it.

This led him to examine the processes of lens making and the methods of grinding and polishing glass. It would be another 50 years before the company, hampered by lack of suitable inspection equipment, would develop its own metrology products.

1886 - formation of the company T.S. and W. Taylor

1887 - W.S.H Hobson joined and became the sales face of Taylor Hobson

1893 - the first Cooke Lens produced - the most consistent in quality worldwide

WW1 1914-18 -developed the "Aviar" lens for photographing from aeroplanes. This gave the allied airforce supremacy. Also contributed to the war by developing binoculars, bores for rifles and lenses for range-finders

1919 - William Taylor is awarded the OBE

1932 - the first Cooke zoom lens for cine photography

1939 - During this period, Taylor Hobson came to supply over 80% of the world's lenses in film studios, especially in America where Hollywood was beginning to dominate the industry.