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Birmingham Emblem showing Trades and Coat of Arms

David Hamme

David Hamme

Brummie babby


Some time ago I came across this large cast iron 22” diameter emblem, but am wondering if anyone on the forum can help identify where it came from.​

It shows the Birmingham coat of Arms, which I believe was used between about 1889 & 1936. It is surrounded by illustrations of various (Birmingham) trades and tools (stone mason, artist, drill / punch, fitting (spanner, tap wrench), loco, grinding wheel, vice, mobile crane, carpentry tools, blacksmiths anvil & hammer). The outer decorative ring could be considered to be a gear wheel.
There are also 4 holes which went right through, but have been filled in, and the back has had many layers of paint over the years including blue & green. One suggestion is that it was a gate boss fixed to large yard / factory type gates in the Birmingham Area.

If anyone out there can remember it, I would be really interested in learning about it and where it was fitted.
Thanks
David 11-12-05 035red.jpgBack 1red.jpg​
 
If, as suggested, it once adorned a large gate my suggestion would be Metro-Cammell or BRCW. All the trades depicted could be found in such a place as those mentioned.
 
Radiorails said:
If, as suggested, it once adorned a large gate my suggestion would be Metro-Cammell or BRCW. All the trades depicted could be found in such a place as those mentioned.
Click to expand...
Metro-Cammell is what I thought, but a person who worked there couldn't recall one (could have been taken off before he worked there). I also wondered about the BIF next to Castle Bromwich Station but have never seen any photos of the gates (if it had any). However BRCW could be a possibility.
My though that it was a gate boss may not even be right.
Thanks Alan for the suggestion. Hopefully someone may be able to confirm or disprove these thoughts.
 
David Hamme said:
Metro-Cammell is what I thought, but a person who worked there couldn't recall one (could have been taken off before he worked there). I also wondered about the BIF next to Castle Bromwich Station but have never seen any photos of the gates (if it had any). However BRCW could be a possibility.
My though that it was a gate boss may not even be right.
Thanks Alan for the suggestion. Hopefully someone may be able to confirm or disprove these thoughts.
Click to expand...
Might we’ll be as Alan suggests, Metro-Cammell, however I seem to recall as you suggest a similar emblem for the BIF at Castle Bromwhich!
 
i guess most of you will know but could someone tell me what BRCW and BIF is short for please and their locations...i can then maybe go though my photo files to find photogaphs of these places that may show the emblem...thanks

lyn
 
Astoness said:
i guess most of you will know but could someone tell me what BRCW and BIF is short for please and their locations...i can then maybe go though my photo files to find photogaphs of these places that may show the emblem...thanks

lyn
Click to expand...
Be great if you could find photos.
Thanks David
 
pjmburns said:
BIF is British Indusrries Fair

The British Industries Fair, Castle Bromwich 1920 - 1957

From 1920 until 1958 nowhere in the country welcomed more visitors than Castle Bromwich. The British Industries Fair in Castle Bromwich was the busiest exhibition centre in Britain. (Like Castle Bromwich Station and Castle Bromwich aerodrome, the British Industries Fair was not actually in...
historyofcastlebromwich.jimdofree.com historyofcastlebromwich.jimdofree.com
Click to expand...
The drawing of BIF suggests there were gates at the entrance so lets see if there are any photos to nail my search.
Thanks David
 
There is a lot more than diesel locomotives as the original company was a going concern for a good number of years.

Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co - Graces Guide

www.gracesguide.co.uk www.gracesguide.co.uk
Radiorails

Post in thread 'Birmingham Railway Carriage Co'

BRCW built some of Birmingham Daimler buses in the late 1930's. It has been claimed that their bodies were not as durable as their Saltley competitor were. As far as I know they did not get any post war orders for new buses from BCT but they did rebuild some of the pre-ww2 buses in 1947 and 1949.
I don't know what other bus companies had their products.
 
Medals of the same design were made in 1892 by J A Restall

Bingley Hall, Trades Exhibition - Item 3725 (Image:A) - historicmedals.com

Bingley Hall, Trades Exhibition, bronze gilt medal, 1892, by J. Restall, city of Birmingham arms with symbols of industry around, rev. TRADES EXHIBITION/AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE OF EXHIBIT/1892/ BINGLEY HALL, BIRMINGHAM, 45 mm. Test marked on the rim, otherwise extremely fine. £Sold...
www.historicmedals.com www.historicmedals.com
 
Thats fantastic info. Thank you. In several areas the medal is more detailed than the larger cast iron emblem.
So presumably the cast iron emblem was based on these medals rather than visa versa. This suggests that the emblem could have been used at an exhibition centre such as Bingley Hall or the BIF. The photos I've just looked at of Bingley Hall on the net do not show an emblem on the outside, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one.
|Very well done finding the medal. Thanks again.
David
 
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