The quintessentially British Jubilee Clip

I’ll let you decide as to which sounds sexier – a Jubilee Clip or the technical description of “a worm-drive hose clamp”. Nobody really knows where the name came from, but the trademark goes back to 1921 and was invented and patented by Commander Lumley Robinson.  When he wasn’t preoccupied with surviving being sunk during World War I, Lumley recognised the need for hose clamp that would not slip, drip or leak.

I’ve never known Jubilee Clips not being somewhere close to hand. Somewhere in the tool box or a relative or when I was old enough to need one, me. Their early advertising was so true: “My great- grandfather knew; my grandfather and my father know that the Jubilee Clip is the finest clip in world!” If you’re a Red Arrows pilot, your Hawk jet has them. Have a look under your car bonnet, you’ve got them. Somewhere under your sink, you’ll probably have one.

Here’s the quick technical bit. Concentrate. The Jubilee Clip is a hose clamp that uses a notched steel band wrapped around the hose and tightened with a worm gear. The worm gear is essentially a captive screw held outside the clamp by a small piece of stamped steel crimped over the end of the steel band. A simple screwdriver is all that a mechanic needs to tighten or loosen the connection. There is near constant force all the way around the hose where it meets the flange on a pipe. That’s it. Job done. Two billion sold.

The modern day operation is still in Gillingham but occupying a much larger site and high tech manufacturing equipment. For a project delivered by Realising Designs  I was fortunate to shoot part of the story from design and production through to dispatch. Lots of noise (as you’d expect) and we had to work quickly with some location lighting and creative angles.

There is a selection of images below but you can see the current update website here https://www.jubileeclips.co.uk/

Ref: Jubilee Clips