Mirrorsoft / Image Works

Maxwell House, Worship Street, London, EC2A

This post frequently felt like a house of cards spinning out of control. I'd started covering Mirrorsoft back in June 2021 (day one, the same day I made a spur of the moment trip to Stratford for CRL) but it quickly became clear this wasn't going to be a simple one-and-done job. One trip down to London became two, and then a third, and then... well you can read about my inability to understand basic street numbers further down the page, along with my flimsy, whinging justification. Oh, look, here's another  address, and it's outside of London, and don't forget Mirrorsoft's spin-off label Image Works. And of course Mirrorsoft is wrapped ivy-like in the complicated corporate structure of Robert Maxwell. At 3000 words this post is so stupidly long I did consider cutting it into two parts but that felt too self-indulgent event for me.

PO Box 50, Bromley Kent, BR2

"The Mirror plans a launch into software," was how POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY (25-31 August 1983) broke the news of Mirror Group Newspapers entry into the software market. "The national newspaper plans to launch a range of titles for the Spectrum, Dragon, and BBC machines in November." The story was broadly correct, despite being flatly denied by Jim Mackonochie, Development Manager for Mirror Group Newspapers, and the 17-23 November 1983 issue was able to confirm details and give the company a name. Mirrorsoft's first three titles were educational; First Steps with the Mr. Men, Caesar the Cat and Quick Thinking. At this point company adverts listed a PO Box address in Bromley; COMPUTER AND VIDEOGAMES (June 1984 page 138). The same address also crops up on adverts for the TV Times holiday brochure service, and it's possible Mirrorsoft's post was being handled by a company called Halligan Advertising Services, who were based at 66 Addison Road Bromley.

Holborn Circus, London, EC1P

August 2021

And then... not much changed. Mirrorsoft weren't a company in a hurry. A disparate selection of titles tricked out through 1984; more educational software released on a scattershot range of computers, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Electron, MSX, and ZX Spectrum; plus a properly licenced version of BBC Mastermind; a game by Andromeda Software called Catastrophes; and some odd personal development software Know Your Own Personality and Know Your Own Psi-Q.

Holborn Circus is the site of the old Mirror Group Newspapers building. It was a great slab of an office block which looms over the area in old photographs. MGN moved out in 1994 and the building was demolished and replaced with the glass monster above; the headquarters of J Sainsbury plc. I passed through Holborn Circus quite late in the day on a Wednesday in August and discovered the sun was against me. It took quite a bit of shuffling around to find a spot where I wouldn't be mowed down by traffic and, more importantly, could take a picture which wasn't bleached out by the sun. 

Maxwell House, 74 Worship Street, London, EC2A

June 2021

Robert Maxwell took over Mirror Group Newspapers in July 1984. Could you guess from the new address? I was surprised the takeover happened this late into Maxwell's life. It was something I assumed had happened decades before because Maxwell always worked hard to make sure his name and THE DAILY MIRROR were synonymous, much more so than Rupert Murdoch and THE SUN. Jim Mackonochie gave an interview to RETRO GAMER (issue nine page 84) which should be considered the definitive history of the company. He recalls it was six months after the take over before he heard from any of the Maxwell family, Boxing Day 1984. "I was called by Kevin Maxwell to tell me that I would no longer be the Development Manager of the (Mirror) Group but that they wanted me to stop playing at software publishing and do it properly." Do it properly meant a change in job title from Development Manager to Managing Director of Mirrorsoft, the recruitment of dedicated staff rather than relying on occasionally drafted in Mirror Group employees, and a more commercial focus.

John Minson interviewed Jim Mackonochie for issue 19 of CRASH (August 1985 page 113) and catches the company at a time of transition -literally because a boxout mentions Mirrorsoft were in the middle of moving from Holborn Circus to Maxwell House. Dynamite Dan, the first sign of Mirrorsoft's more commercial direction, had just been released on the ZX Spectrum (with Amstrad, Commodore 64, and MSX versions to follow). The short interview with Jim Mackonochie barely makes up a page of the three page feature; the other two are a broad overview of Mirrorsoft's earlier titles. Direct quotes from Jim are printed in italics, which which makes it easy to spot there's not a lot of them. Maybe John Minson was only granted a few minutes of Jim's time or possibly his more formal business manager approach (sample quote "the implications for the next decade are very interesting. There's some very interesting potential") just didn't generate the freewheeling copy which CRASH preferred.

Daily Mirror 17 June 1985

At the end of the interview the previously mentioned boxout also notes, "shortly after this interview was conducted, Robert Maxwell's involvement in Sinclair Research was announced." This dates the interview to June 1985 when Sinclair Research admitted they "hoped to raise between "£10 million and £15 million from industrial or other sources to save the company." POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY (6-12 June 1985). The takeover would be carried out via Maxwell's Pergamon Press subsidiary Hollis. THE DAILY MIRROR, "The Sinclair company will raise £12 million cash by issuing new shares. Hollis will take up most of these shares. Rothschilds [Sinclair's bankers] will ensure that the rest are sold to other investors." The deal fell apart so quickly that it was dead almost as soon as it was first reported in monthly magazines like CRASH. "Clive fights on as rescue fails," 

Nightmare in Clive Castle

was POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY's headline (15-21 August 1985). THE DAILY MIRROR (10 August 1985, page 2) reported, "on advice from their City bankers, Hill Samuel, Hollis directors decided they could not recommend the deal to their shareholders. Mr Maxwell said last night: "we are sad that it was not possible to conclude the deal. But it just didn't gel." In issue 20 (September 1985) CRASH printed a cartoon by reader G A Kester called Nightmare in Clive Castle. Two night-time visitations terrify Clive Sinclair, one carrying an axe branded with MSX, the other a goblin leering through the window and waving a card reading "debts." The two figures are both saying "Maxwell won't save you next time." And he didn't. A £10 million deal with Dixons to sell Spectrum+ packs got Sinclair Research through the rest of the year but Clive Sinclair exited the home computer market in 1986 following the sale of Sinclair computer rights to Amstrad.

Three more Mirrorsoft games followed in 1985. Two were in line with Jim Mackonochie's vison and slightly more thoughtful than the average arcade fare; a text adventure called Ashkeron! and Spitfire 40; which also made its way onto the Amstrad in 1985 under the Amsoft label. The third game was the Amstrad and Atari 8-bit version of Boulder Dash. Mirrorsoft's decision to become the third UK company to grab a piece of Rockford action seems odd. Why would a company with big ambitions purchase the UK rights for only two versions? Were they the only ones left? The dual version pack comes with the Amstrad version on one side of the tape and the Atari 8-bit version on the other. Very annoying for most people, who would only have one machine, especially if your side of the tape stops working. The Atari version appears to be First Star's original, released unaltered. The Amstrad version was converted by Dalali Software who also did the ZX Spectrum conversion for Front Runner. Is it possible Dalali also started work on the Amstrad version of Boulder Dash for Front Runner, only to be left hanging when that company ceased publishing? If Dalali already had a work in progress version of Boulder Dash sitting around then it makes sense for them to offer it to Mirrorsoft, when Mirrrorsoft approaches them to work on the Amstrad version of Dynamite Dan. Mirrorsoft's enquires to First Star about the Amstrad rights might also have revealed the Atari version was also available to licence in the UK, hence the dual formal tape -cheaper than releasing two separate versions. Regardless of the backstory, Dalali Software would work on a couple more titles for Mirrorsoft in 1986; most notably Biggles based on the 1986 film. 

Maxwell House (one of two, or maybe three buildings in London given the same name) is long gone, and Worship Street has been heavily redeveloped because it's on the northern flank of the Broadgate office and shopping estate. The whole site between Worship Street, Appold Street, Snowdon Street, and Vandy Street has been cleared for a single glass giant called Broadgate Quarter. There's a short but entertaining article here about the saga of Maxwell house, a party window, and Robert Maxwell's relationship with his neighbours. Speaking of neighbours, walk a bit further down Worship Street to the junction with Paul Street and you are not far from Mastertronics' office at 8 Paul Street, 

Purnell Book Centre, Paulton, Bristol, BS18

Robert Maxwell acquired 74 Worship Street when he brought out the British Printing Corporation in 1981. The BPC also owned a huge printworks in Paulton, a small village south of Bristol, and from 1985 this address also begins appearing on Mirrorsoft adverts. First as a location for trade orders and then as the sole contact address for Mirrorsoft. It's unlikely that Mirrorsoft ever left Worship Street but the Purnell Book Centre became the public address for the company until early 1987. 

You won't be surprised to hear the British Printing Corporation printworks site no longer exists. The Britain from Above website has some photos dated 1938 which show the scale of the site, and how it dominated the village. The printworks actually survived Maxwell by nearly 15 years and finally closed after the last shift on New Year's Eve 2005. The site was cleared for housing and now lives on only in some of the street names; Purnell Way, Old Print Works Road, and Caxton Close. 

1986 was a key year for Mirrorsoft. The company signed deals with US companies like Cinemaware, Sierra, Spectrum Holoyte, and FTL Games. This established Mirrorsoft as a big player in the new UK 16-bit market, by releasing games including Falcon, Dungeon Master, Defender of the Crown, and It Came from the Desert. 1986 also saw the release of Fleet Street Editor, an early desktop publishing programme supposedly named by Robert Maxwell himself. The first version was for the BBC Micro, followed by versions for the Amstrad, PC, and Atari ST; updates were still being issued until 1990.

Around February 1987 Mirrorsoft also acquired Coventry based software house PSS; POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY (12-18 February page 6). Co-founder and director Gary Mays stressed: "We will continue as a separate company, we are keeping our offices in Coventry, we are not losing any staff, in fact, the only real difference is that we and Mirrorsoft will be co-operating in joint marketing ventures." Adverts for Bismark, the next game released by PSS, would still carry their Coventry address but over time this would change to the Mirrorsoft address.

Athene House, 66-73 Shoe Lane, London, EC4P

June 2021

May 2022

Two pictures? It's complicated. I'll explain later. Autumn 1987 saw another move, to Athene House in Shoe Lane. Just in time for Christmas came Andy Capp, based on THE DAILY MIRROR's long running comic strip. It makes sense for a company like Mirrorsoft to mine its own properties for licences, although I'd have preferred a game based on The Perishers, but Andy Capp seems to have also been an early piece of corporate synergy to tie in with the Andy Capp television series which followed in early 1988; starring James Bolan and Paula Tilbrook, and written by Keith Waterhouse. The series wasn't a success and although the game got positive reviews it also didn't set the world on fire.

A much bigger game was Tetris which arrived on 27th January 1988. The behind the scenes saga of Tetris is insanely complicated, and is covered better elsewhere. The thumbnail version; Robert Stein of Andromeda Software (makers of 1983's Caesar the Cat) saw the game in Hungary (in those Soviet Union days) and sold the UK rights to Mirrorsoft and the American rights to Spectrum Holobyte (Mirrorsoft's sister company in the USA). Mirrorsoft suspected the game would be massive and ran teasers in the shape of odd little adverts in advance of the official campaign. Meanwhile, Robert Stein had a problem. He didn't actually own the rights. What he had was a fax from Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov and Victor Brjabrin, Pajitnov's supervisor at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, expressing an interest in forming an agreement with Stein which, it turns out, is not the same thing as a contract at all. A real contract was finally signed in May 1988, several months after the Mirrorsoft version actually went on sale. It was during the subsequent sale of the Japanese market rights that things really got messy and everyone lawyered up, and at one point Robert Maxwell supposedly contacted Mikhail Gorbachev. It didn't help.

OpenStreetMap © OpenStreetMap contributors

Speaking of complicated, about those two pictures. Shoe Lane was a historic area of London just off Fleet Street. It was horribly damaged during the Blitz and became one of those places that gets knocked down and redeveloped every 20-30 years. Judging by the number of cordoned off buildings around the Fleet Street/Shoe Lane junction the area is getting ready for yet another burst of rebuilding. The current incarnation of the lane is all glassy and expensive and full of buildings which aren't actually on Shoe Lane, despite appearing to be, and so this has banjaxed all the building numbers. For example; 130, has a door opening on to Shoe Lane but is 130 Fleet Street; 102 is correct and numbered on the street with a plate but I have no idea why Be At One, a few doors down, is number 18; 74-76 is the Deloitte Academy but its postal address is Little New Street not Shoe Lane; 20, is actually 20 St Andrew Street because at this point Shoe Lane jags off to the right; and then all the street numbers start going up again, 51, 53, 60... which means obviously the site of 66-73 Shoe Lane must have been at the top of the street at the junction of Shoe Lane and Charterhouse Street. So, that's what I photographed in June 2021 except... reviewing Google Maps for this update I noticed the building between 20 and 74-76 is called Athene Place. Could this be the former site of Mirrorsofts' Athene House? I don't know. To be thorough I made a fifth trip down to London and snapped another picture two weeks ago; in the rain. Athene Place is currently being renovated and someone has stuck large signs up reading "66 Shoe Lane". Under the circumstances, and given my problems with street numbers last year I found this unnecessarily sarcastic. I've never been trolled by a building before. If you know where Athene House, 66-73 Shoe Lane actually was then please send an email to whereweretheynow@gmail.com. Title your message "I know where Athene House, 66-73 Shoe Lane actually was." Wherever Athene House was, it was just round the corner from the Mirror Group Newspapers building in Holborn Circus. If you walk the other way down Shoe Lane, to Fleet Street, you can admire the (currently cordoned off, due to immanent building work) old Daily Express building and find several locations from the cracking 1961 film The Day the Earth Caught Fire.

Jim Mackonochie left Mirrorsoft in 1988 and his place was taken by Peter Bilotta. His big innovation was to set up a new label called Image Works; ACE (September 1988 page 9). The thinking seems to be that third party games by Cinemaware, and others, would continue under the Mirrorsoft brand while everything else would be shunted off under the Image Works label. The ACE report notes "the company had kept a low profile over the last six months," and the last non-third party game released as a Mirrorsoft title seems to have been Tetris. The first few Image Works games still carry the Shoe Lane address -ACE (November 1988 page 59) but Athene House has been renamed Headway House. What's that all about? It seems to be a relic of Robert Maxwell tinkering with his empire following the 1987 takeover of Headway Publications; presumably Headway was moved into Athene House, which was promptly renamed.

Irwin House, 118 Southwark Street, London SE1

May 2022

In 1987, IPC Magazines packaged up all their youth titles and sold them to Maxwell's Pergamon group as Fleetway Publications. According to John Sanders, IPC Youth Group Managing Director, in his book King's Reach this sale occurred around the same time that: "I had already taken advantage of a shortage of space in King's Reach Tower to move the Youth Group out of the building and into another IPC property, Irwin House." IPC were also the previous owners of Mirror Group Newspapers which generates the disturbing image of IPC carving slices from itself to sell to Maxwell. Irwin House must have come as part of the deal, and by autumn 1989 Mirrorsoft/Image Works had also moved there, south of the Thames. Once again Mirrorsoft is moved around the Maxwell empire to suit its whims. I'd expect this move to result in more corporate synergy, like Andy Capp the computer game, but Mirrorsoft never seemed to be in the picture to publish games based on Fleetway characters. Piranha, a division of Macmillan Publishers, had a lock on them all. (In an odd coincidence Macmillan Inc, the American arm of Macmillan Publishers, was brought by Maxwell Communication Corporation in 1987.) Piranha released a Rogue Trooper game and ceased publishing while working on games based on Halo Jones, Judge Dredd, Judge Death, and Roy of the Rovers. John Minson (of the 1985 Mirrorsoft interview) writes a charming tale of Helen Holland, Piranha PR person, being baffled by the Schrodinger's cat-like real/not real status of footballer Roy Race; CRASH (issue 45 page 11).

Image Works released four games by The Bitmap Brothers, Speedball, Xenon II: Megablast, Cadaver, and Speedball 2. They were also working with Graftgold, Sensible Software, and Vivid Image. Mev Dinc, Managing Director of Vivid Image had previously tried to pitch his 1986 game Gerry the Germ Goes Body Popping to Mirrorsoft. Their response: "You must be joking, we couldn't publish this! We're Mirror Group, a respected group of companies!" RETRO GAMER (issue 131 page 92). Firebird were not so staid.

On 5th November 1991 Robert Maxwell fell overboard from his yacht Lady Ghislaine, in what has been reported as a murder, suicide, or accident. His death had no immediate effect on Mirrorsoft which continued to prepare for the Christmas sales peak but within four weeks the High Court had appointed Arthur Andersen to act as administrators and deal with debts already running into the billions. A management buy out was considered but money needed to be raised fast. The company was closed down and assets were divided up and sold off. The list of creditors was so long that Mirrorsoft was finally dissolved on 27th May 2009, according to Companies House.

Unsurprisingly Irwin House no longer exists. If it was an asset of Maxwell Communications then it was sold off in the fire sale panic following his death. Irwin House's Southwark Street site backs on to Tate Modern. An area which has been twice transformed. Once when Bankside Power Station was reopened as Tate Modern in 2000, and then again from 2012 when NEO Bankside and the Tate extension were being built. Irwin House seems to have been demolished along with the Bankside Industrial Estate around 2006. Point Google Maps to 2008 and you can see the whole site cleared. The Britain from Above image shows Bankside Power Station under construction in 1952. The circled building is in the right place for Irwin House but I've got a nagging suspicion that Irwin House replaced the building in this photograph. Perhaps Mirrorsoft or IPC veterans can let me know, if they pass by and read this.