A. Kershaw & Son (Kalee brand)
2 Soho Square, London, Works in Leeds

G.B.-Kalee Ltd.
60 Wardour St, London W1
37-41 Mortimer St, London W1 (1957)

Rank Precision Industries Ltd. - Gaumont-Kalee Division
37-41 Mortimer St, London W1 (1957)

Gaumont Kalee Ltd.
14b Cowleigh Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1QD (2000-2001)

Projectors, recorders, amplifiers, loudspeakers, power supplies, cinematographic accessories, scientific instruments.

This company entry is for Kalee and GB-Kalee brand devices only. 

In 1888 Abram Kershaw founded a business of electrical and scientific instruments in Leeds. They started building cinema projectors in c. 1920.

They later became part of Amalgamated Photographic Manufacturers, forming the Kershaw-Soho Ltd. The Kershaw group was acquired by British Optical and Precision Engineers Ltd.

The brand Kalee was continued to be used until the Kershaw group was aquired by Gaumont British to become GB Kalee. Gaumont British was acquired by Rank in 1941. Gaumont-Kalee was used as a brand by the "Gaumont-Kalee Division" (1957).

Rank Organisation was an entertainment conglomerate founded by Arthur J. Rank in 1937. In 1949 they bought Bush Radio, in 1960 Murphy Radio (forming the Rank Bush Murphy Group). They also had a partnership with Haloid Corp. (Origin of Rank Xerox).

Rank Audio Visual was created in 1960, bringing together Rank's multimedia acquisitions, including Bell and Howell, Andrew Smith Harkness Ltd. and Wharfedale Ltd. Later additions were Strand Electric Holdings and H.J. Leak & Co.

The Rank Organisation existed until 1995, when the name and assets where transferred to the Rank Group, a gaming and leisure business (still in existence). They subsequently changed their focus of operation and their interests and shares of engineering companies where sold off (dates unknown).

The Gaumont-Kalee brand was revived by Willy Ford, Malvern Film Services, for a short time, offering maintenance and parts manufacture for GK machines. They incorporated as Gaumont Kalee Ltd. on 23rd Feb. 2000 and dissolved 11th Dec. 2001.