Poynter Griffiths & Co Ltd.
Canonbury Road, London N1

Originally makers of light bulbs since the 1890's as the Maxim Lamp Works. The name of the company was changed to Poynter Griffiths & Co Ltd. in 1910. An undated and unsourced advertisement from c. 1919 -1924 shows that the company was making radio valves. None have so far been found.

Hiram Stevens Maxim was born in Sangerville, Maine, USA on February 5th, 1840. He died in London on November 24th, 1916. The family moved from Sangerville in 1846 but eturned some years later. He obtained work with a horse carriage maker and repairer owned by a David Flint. His first invention - an automaitic mouse trap - was developed there, as well as a trycicle and a silicate black board. None of these were  patented.

When he was 20 years old he moved to Dexter, Maine, working as a decorative painter and wood turner. After several other jobs he was employed by an uncle, Levi Stevens, who owned a factory making automatic gas machines. He  then began working for O.P. Drake in Boston, whee he developed density regulators and an automatic fire extinguisher system using sprinklers. Moving to the Novelty Iron Works and Ship Building Company, he improved his gas machine and invented a locomotive headlight. He applied for patents on all of these.

In the course of his latest work, he became acquainted with Spencer D Schuyler, who had formed the United States Electric Lighting Company. Maxim was hired as chief engineer and general manager. While there he worked on improvements in carbon filament lamps, dynamos, arc lamps and other electrical apparatus.  

He developed a platinum filament lamp with a thermostatic regulator but did not apply  for a patent on it until December 23rd, 1879. In a court case it was found that this lamp was similar to one developed by Thomas Edison and patented April 22nd, 1879. But the idea of Maxim's lamp was well recorded as early as 1877. The court found in favor of Maxim and patent no 247380 was issued to him on 30th September 1881. Maxim continued working on various lamps but these were of the low resistance type and were not successful.

With the help of Ludwig Boehm, who "defected" from Edison to join Maxim, the laboratory was soon able to make lamps with carbonized paper filaments. On October 23rd, 1880 the "Scientific American" made an announcement of Maxim's new lamp. The filament was in the shape of a Maltese Cross. The United States Electric Company made several installations incorporating the maxim lamp.

In 1881 Maxim made his first trip to Europe and attended the Paris Electrical Ehibition, displaying his lamps. Three of these have been seen in the Teyler Museum in Holland. While in Europe he made his first drawings of an automatic weapon (gun). Albert Vickers and Ransolph Symon met Maxim on his visit to London and they formed the Maxim Gun Conpany in 1883-84. 

Maxim migrated to England and became a naturalised British Subject in 1900. He founded a lamp factory in London, known as the Maxim Lamp Works in the late 1890's. This factory was located in Canonbury Road.

Maxim became more interested in his gun invention and other things. The lamp factory manager, J. F. Poynter, took over ownership of the Maxim brand in 1910. The company name changed around this time to Poynter, Griffiths & Co Ltd. Lamps with the Maxim brand continued to be made at this factory until 1951, when the company moved to Hurstpierspoint, West Sussex. production ceased in 1970. A decision was made to import lamps and the Poynter family owned the brand name until February 2016.

A recently discovered undated and unsourced company advertisement c. 1919-1924 shows a lamp and a radio tube (similar to the British R valve) as well as a lamp. The ad reads in relation to the tube: "Maxim Valves - Our Latest Production".

In all Hiram Maxim had 122 US patents, 27 relating to lamps and 150 British patents, only one relating to manufacturing lamp filaments.