Hymers College was delighted to welcome Ben Bennett, a specialist researcher of the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts, as he visited the school to study our historic War Memorial plaques. The Bromsgrove Guild, founded in 1898 and active until 1966, was a renowned collective of highly skilled artists, designers and craftspeople. Working across a wide range of materials including metal, wood, plaster, bronze and intricate mosaic, the Guild became celebrated for the exceptional craftsmanship and artistic quality of its commissions.

Although perhaps best known nationally for producing the iconic gates of Buckingham Palace and the Liver Birds which crown the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, the Guild’s work can also be found here in Hull. Their local contributions include the ornamental gates at Pickering Park, as well as a rare and striking mosaic at the Northern Academy of Performing Arts, 50 Anlaby Road. This mosaic, created around 1904, was designed by Alfred George Jones and crafted in situ by Guild artisans, making it a particularly special example of their early work.

Mr Bennett’s visit forms part of his wider research into the Bromsgrove Guild’s legacy and its lasting connections across the region. His expertise and insights will support ongoing efforts to preserve, understand, and share the story behind our own memorial plaques, significant pieces of Hymers history that honour former students who gave their lives in service.

Recent discoveries in the archives of the Bromsgrove guild have revealed drawings and plans for more than 9,000 pieces created by the Guild. Ben is now working to trace and identify the original artworks associated with these plans. Among them are the designs for the memorial plaques here at Hymers, providing an invaluable link between our heritage and the Guild’s wider body of work.

The reach of the Bromsgrove Guild extended far beyond our school and even beyond the region. Items produced by the Guild have been shipped and installed as far away as the Shetland Islands, as well as at locations overseas, highlighting the remarkable scope and influence of this once little‑known collective of artisans.

                   Worcester Country Archives, Hartlebury Castle, Bromsgrove Guild Order Book number 7, page 37, photo 8497.

Above are the tablets as they left the factory in Bromsgrove in 1923 before installation here at the School in 1924.  Many of the memorials took years even decades to be installed as there were many arguments and debates in councils and local authorities regarding what to add to the memorialise those that lost their lifes. The plaque here at Hymers was noted to be installed very quickly after the end of the war in comparison to many others. 

All of our Old Hymerian community will remember these plaques from their time at School, they are still are an integral part of our School history. Each year we honour those we have lost in our annual Remembrance Service and pay our respects and lay commemorative wreaths in the Memorial Hall. 

You can read more about the History of the School in our History of Hymers section of our website.