1795
From One Family to MILLIONS
In 1795 Thomas Jaques took on his 15-year-old son, John as an apprentice. Together they established ‘Thomas Jaques: Manufacturer of Ivory, Hardwoods, Bone and Tunbridge Ware’ in Hatton Garden. We have remained a family run business ever since, with the same unwavering passion for quality games and toys.
1849
The Rise of the Staunton Chess Set & Royal Connections
By 1849 Jaques of London had become the trusted company we know and love today. After bringing the Staunton Chess Set to the world we were lucky enough to supply Queen Mary of Teck, wife of King-Emperor George V with a model chess set for her world famous dolls house.
1851
Jaques Introduces Croquet to the World
John’s son continued in his father’s footsteps, still working in Hatton Garden. In the year 1851, we went onto introduce Croquet to the world. An achievement that would win Jaques two Gold Medals at The Great International Exhibition.
1901
Jaques Introduces Ping Pong to the World
The 1900s saw huge development at Jaques as we invented Ping Pong, now the most played sport in the world. Together with this we worked alongside MI9 to build hollow toys filled with vital equipment to help our soldiers escape imprisonment.
2000
Eight Generations Later…
Eight generations after Thomas Jaques opened our first shop, cousins, Joe and Emmet Jaques take over the business at the New Edenbridge Head Office.
2020
Let’s Empower Play
2020 saw us launch the 5 “Let’s” toy ranges to help share the power of play through the generations. It highlights everything we stand for at Jaques, providing little ones with everything they need to develop to be the leaders of tomorrow and most importantly have fun!
2023
The Sky is the Limit!
Today we are ever-expanding our toy range and have been honoured with six awards in the past three years as a result. Our Mini Minds Hub which launched to encourage learning at home, is now stocked with over 150 free resources. We’ve been working for 228 years to fill the world with more joy and we hope to keep striving for that goal long into the future. Why not come along for the trip with us!