Established
in 1846 by Charles Playfair and Thomas Bentley at Summer Lane, Birmingham. A London office was opened circa 1893 at 60 Queen Victoria Street.
Bentley and Playfair were at one time tenants of William Tranter.
Charles
Playfair senior died at Aberdeen in 1876 and Charles the younger became Chairman
of the Birmingham Proof House and he became a director of the Birmingham Small
Arms Company which was formed in 1861, he was also an original shareholder in
BSA.
While
the third Charles Playfair was in charge the firm amalgamated with Isaac Hollis
& Sons in 1911 and in 1914
the firm of Clabrough & Johnstone joined the group.