1799-1897 - Hatton Garden (Camden)

In 1799 instrument maker Caesar Tagliabue who originated from the Como area established a company in Holborn. Before the end of 1820 he had moved to no. 23 Hatton Garden in the heart of London’s scientific instrument making community.

Luigi [Louis Pascal] Casella was born on 29 February 1812 in Edinburgh, the son of Pasquale Casella, teacher of painting, who had moved from near Como to London at around the same time. He was employed by Tagliabue. In November 1838 young Casella married Maria Louisa Tagliabue, who worked in the firm’s office. In the same year Tagliabue took his son-in-law into partnership, changing the company’s name to Tagliabue & Casella.

In 1844, following Tagliabue’s death, Casella took over the running of the business. The firm was making and selling a variety of scientific instruments, including thermometers, which became one of the main concerns of the firm under Casella’s guidance. In 1848 Tagliabue was dropped from the company name. By the 1860s Casella & Co. sold thermometers, hydrometers, surveying and meteorological instruments, as well as accessories for photography. Many of the devices were made in the Casella workshop. Among the company’s customers were the British and overseas governments, universities, and scientific institutions. After his death in 1897, the firm was continued by his son Charles Frederick.