De La Rue De La Rue De La Rue plc (, ) is a British banknote manufacturing, security printing of passports and tax stamps, brand authentication and paper-making company with headquarters in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. It also has a factory on the Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, and other facilities at Loughton, Essex, and Bathford, Somerset. There are overseas offices in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Malta. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company was founded by Thomas de la Rue (1793–1866), who moved from Guernsey to London in 1821 and set up in business as a 'Leghorn' straw hat maker,
Rue de la Bourse the Trinity and became in 1527 the Collège de la Trinité with William Durand as first director. On 1 May 1565, it was transformed into a Jesuit company. In 1607, the new college Collège-lycée Ampère was built after plans by Étienne Martellange, and Archbishop Denis-Simon de Marquemont blessed the first stone. After being enlarged in 1619 and destroyed by fire in 1644, it was given to the Oratorians in 1763. The street was built by the main contractors of the rue Impériale (current rue de la Republique), which were 58, gathered in company under the stewardship of Guigue. At the