1879 - 1918

1879

Prudential moves into Holborn Bars, a purpose built office complex designed by Sir Alfred Waterhouse. The building quickly becomes a popular architectural landmark, and remains an integral part of Prudential’s property portfolio to this day.

1894

A national newspaper declares that ‘no serious accident occurs among the masses of people without including in its death-toll persons who are insured with the Company’.

1913

The company installs Powers Samas punch card machines (an early form of computer) to cope with increasing volumes of statistical and record work. By 1923, Prudential owns the largest number of punched card machines in the world. This technology is necessary to deal with the vast amount of new business generated by the Company.

1881

Prudential becomes a limited liability company. At this time the Company was owned by fewer than 100 shareholders and most of these were related to the directors. At the beginning of 1881 the company had a paid-up capital of only £24,920 but after registration as a limited company this soon rises sharply to £80,028.

1912

Following the National Insurance Act, Prudential works with the government to run Approved Societies, providing sickness and unemployment benefits to five million people.

1918

By the end of the First World War, Prudential had paid 230,000 claims representing more than one third of British soldiers killed during he war. Of the 9,161 Prudential staff who had enlisted, 786 have been killed on active service. In 1922 their names are recorded on a permanent war memorial at Holborn Bars.