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| N&B Cub 18x |
Newbold & Bulford of London, England, were makers of telescopes and binoculars during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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| N&B Cub 18x |
Most of their telescope models were terrestrial telescopes, sometimes known as spyglasses. These show an erect image, wheras an astronomical telescope usually shows an image inverted either vertically or horizontally (depending on the optical design).
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| N&B Petrel 30x |
They began to use the trade name Enbeeco and, after the second World War, by 1951 or earlier, the name Enbeeco was used extensively on their products.
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| Enbeeco Merlin 20-40x |
In 1960 Newbold & Bulford collaborated with Ross Ltd. to produce the Ross Enbeeco 13x60 binoculars. In 1975 Newbold & Bulford bought the stock and goodwill of the company J.H. Steward.
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| Enbeeco Merlin 20-40x |
In October 1991 the company, then trading in Edenbridge, Kent, became Pyser NB (Trading) Ltd., This became part of Pyser-SGI trading at the same address.
Below is listed the various models of telescope and binocular made and sold by Newbold & Bulford
Telescope Models
Binocular Models
Telescope Models
Comet
The Enbeeco Comet (C & S) is 2 draws, 20x magnification with a 35mm objective. It measures 10” closed and 24” extended. It is of brass construction with a leather cover on the main barrel. It has a sliding sunshade, also covered in leather, and two end-caps with a strap attached to leather tabs on the main barrel.
The Enbeeco Comet No. 2 is 2 draws, 25x magnification with a 30mm objective. It measures 10¼” closed and 24½” extended. It is of blackened metal construction with a leather cover on the main barrel. It has a sliding sunshade, also covered in leather, and two end-caps with a strap attached to leather tabs on the main barrel.
Commadore
The Enbeeco Commadore 18x has a single draw with 18x magnification. It measures 17” closed, and 23½” extended. It is of chromium plated metal construction with leather covering on the main barrel.
The Enbeeco Commadore 20x has a single draw with 20x magnification. It has a 30mm objective, and measures 17” closed, and 23½” extended. It is of chromium plated metal construction with leather covering on the main barrel.
Cub
The Newbold & Bulford Cub is 3 draws, 18x magnification with a 24mm objective. It measures 7” closed and extends to 18¼”. It is made of brass, and has a leather cover on the main barrel. It has a press-fit brass cover on the objective.
Curlew
The Enbeeco Curlew is a 2-draw pancratic telescope with a magnification of 25x-40x. It has a 40mm objective. It is of brass construction with a leather cover on the main barrel. It has a sliding sunshade, also covered in leather, and two end-caps with a strap attached to leather tabs on the main barrel.
Do-it-yourself Kit
The Enbeeco Do-it-yourself Kit was sold as a boxed set of parts for the construction of a small astronomical refractor.
Falcon
The Falcon telescope was sold branded both as Newbold & Bulford and Enbeeco. It has 3 draws, and 22x magnification, with a 30mm objective. It measures 6¾” closed, and 17¾” extended. It is made of brass, with a faux-shagreen cover on the main barrel. It has a press-fit brass cover for the objective.
Heron
The Enbeeco Heron is a 2-draw pancratic telescope with a magnification of 12-20x. It measures 5½” closed, and 14” extended. It is of brass construction with a painted main barrel. It was supplied in a canvas pouch.
Hillary-Everest
The Newbold & Bulford Hilary-Everest is a 2-draw pancratic telescope with magnification 25x-40x. It has a 40mm objective, and measures 10¼” closed and 28½” extended. It is made of brass, with a leather cover on the main barrel. It has an extendable sun-shade which is also leather covered. It was produced to commemorate Edmund Hillary’s expedition to Everest in 1953 during which, accompanied by Tenzing Norgay, he was the first person to reach the summit of Everest.
Kestrel
The Enbeeco Kestrel is 3 draws, magnification 25x. It has a 35mm objective, and measures 8” closed, and 20¾” extended. It is of blackened metal construction with faux-shagreen cover on the main barrel.
Lookout
The Newbold & Bulford Lookout was a 3” brass refractor on a wooden tripod.
Merlin
The Enbeeco Merlin is a 2-draw pancratic telescope with a magnification of 20x-40x. It has a 30mm objective, and extends to 22”. It is made of aluminium, with a leather cover on the main barrel, and was sold in a canvas pouch.
Officer of the Watch
The Enbeeco Officer of the Watch x18 is a marine telescope. It has an objective of 30mm and measures 18” closed and 25½” extended. It is of chromium-plated metal construction with leather covering on the main barrel. It has a chromium-plated sliding sun-shade, and an attached leather end-cap.
The Enbeeco Officer of the Watch Mk5 is a single-draw pancratic marine telescope with magnification 18x-30x. It has an objective of 40mm and measures 18” closed and 30” extended. It is of chromium-plated metal construction with leather covering on the main barrel. It has a chromium-plated sliding sun-shade.
Orbit
The Enbeeco Orbit is a spotting scope with 20x magnification and a 30mm objective. It has a tripod mount threaded screw-hole.
Petrel
The Newbold & Bulford Petrel has 2 draws, 30x magnification, with a 35mm objective. It measures 11½” closed, and 25¾” extended. It is made of black painted aluminium, with a faux shagreen cover on the main barrel.
Ranger
The Enbeeco Ranger 30x has 2 draws, 30x magnification, with a 40mm objective. It measures 10¼” closed, and 24” extended. It is made of brass, and has a leather cover on the main barrel.
The Enbeeco Ranger Major is a 2-draw pancratic telescope with magnification 30x-55x. It is of chromium-plated metal construction with a leather cover on the main barrel, and leather end-caps attached to a strap.
The Enbeeco Ranger Pan 25-40x is a 3-draw pancratic telescope with magnification 25x-40x. It has a 40mm objective, and measures 10¾” closed, and 27¼” extended. It is made of brass, with a leather cover on the main barrel.
The Enbeeco Ranger 55 is a 2-draw pancratic telescope with magnification 30X-50x. It has a 40mm objective, and measures 10½” closed, and 27¼” extended. It is made of brass, with a leather cover on the main barrel, and was sold in a canvas pouch.
Vixen
The Enbeeco Vixen is as 3-draw telescope with 30x magnification.
30x30
The Enbeeco 30x30 has 2 draws, 30x magnification, with a 30mm objective. It measures 6¾” closed and 15” extended. It is of chromium plated metal construction with a black-painted main barrel. It was supplied in a leather carrying case.
12-40x40
The Enbeeco 12-40x40 is a pancratic spotting scope with magnification 12x-40x. It has a 40mm objective, and a tripod mount threaded screw-hole.
Binocular Models
Newbold & Bulford
Viking Minor 8x25; Viking Major 8x30; Imperia 10x35; Britannia 8x43; Britannia 10x50
Enbeeco
7x50; Night Hawk Minor (Galilean, fixed IPD); Ornithologist 8x30; Navigon 8x50; 10x35; Concord 8x40
Ross Enbeeco
13x60
If you have information about Newbold & Bulford binocular or telescope models not shown here, please let me know, and I will add them to this post.
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For more information about Newbold & Bulford, Ross Ltd., telescopes, and binoculars, and other related topics, refer to Brass and Glass: Optical Instruments and Their Makers by Tony Benson
All photos and text © Tony Benson 2025
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