Discovering the History of Jubilee House

Every now and then, a simple idea turns into something far more interesting than expected.

We recently decided to create a small display in our reception area at Jubilee House, sharing some of the history behind the building Benchmark calls home. The plan was straightforward: gather a few archive images, add some background information and create something enjoyable for visitors to look at when they arrive.

What we found was a genuinely fascinating link to Letchworth’s manufacturing past.

Long before Jubilee House became home to Benchmark’s retail display manufacturing facility, the site was part of a major Borg-Warner factory. Newspaper clippings from the 1950s describe the opening as a significant moment in the industrial history of the town, with the new factory representing a £4,000,000 investment. In today’s money this is equivalent to well over £100m!

The scale was impressive too. The factory was built on an 11-acre site and included around 158,000 sq. ft. of single-floor productive space. It was designed around modern flow-line manufacturing principles, supporting the production of automatic gear transmissions, overdrives and other component parts for the motor industry.

There is also a connection to an even earlier chapter of Letchworth’s industrial story. Borg-Warner Ltd had previously been known as Morse Chain Co. Ltd, a business that had been manufacturing chains and sprockets in Letchworth since 1919.

For us, it has been brilliant to uncover more of that history. Benchmark’s work today is very different from gearbox manufacturing, but the building’s purpose still feels familiar. Jubilee House remains a place of production, skilled people, specialist machinery and practical problem-solving.

Today, our teams use the site to design, manufacture and deliver retail displays and retail environments for brands across the UK. The products have changed, but the manufacturing spirit of the building is still very much alive.

Our new reception display brings some of that story together, using archive photographs and newspaper clippings to show where Jubilee House has come from and how its manufacturing legacy continues today.

Next time you visit Benchmark, take a moment to have a look – it turned out to be a much more interesting story than we first expected.

Is it time to see it for yourself? We regularly host open days and welcome clients to our Letchworth facility to see how Benchmark operates behind the scenes. Get in touch today to book your visit.