A Swedish guy called Frans Wilhelm Linquist and his pal Johan Svenson created the pressurized, soot free, paraffin burner/stove way back in 1892, and, because it was the first of its type, they decided to call it Primus, meaning ‘first’ in Latin. Primus went on to become the world’s most successful range of domestic and camping paraffin stoves, so much so that Primus became the generic term for all paraffin stoves, even when they were not made by Primus and have other brand names. You’ll find lots of these brands elsewhere in the collection.

A company called BA Hjorth & Co took over production of the Primus in 1899 and there followed a vast array of stoves for both the domestic and outdoor market. This was a time when electricity had yet to arrive in many parts of the world, so cooking on a paraffin stove was progress. Camping as a pastime was an embryonic sport back then, and it took a decade or so for BA Hjorth to capture the camping market with smaller, compactable, stoves – the Primus 96 probably the most successful.

We have a fine example of the No1 here in the collection, they continued to be made long after the original and this one dates from 1940. The legs are not removable and it doesn’t pack away like later versions. So, a bit large for the rucksack, ideal for the kitchen.