Curators' Blog: A Welcome Gift- Archibald Kenrick & Sons

Our Curators' have been putting together a new exhibition in our Rolfe street entrance building. We have been fortunate to be gifted a large collection of Kenrick material from Archibald Kenrick and Sons, who were just one of many iron foundries within the Black Country,  established in 1791 in West Bromwich. 

The  gift to BCLM consisted of over 250 individual objects and over 1000 individual archive documents, kindly donated by Mr David Kenrick. Our Collections Team __with the support of our volunteers are now beginning to document the large collection of items. This collection will enable us to preserve the history and tell the story of this fascinating company.

The company began by producing buckles and livery fittings, but soon expanded into the production of cast iron pans, door knockers, letter boxes, door porters, coffee mills, sad irons and even air vents. Kenrick & Sons became increasingly well-known for their high quality and highly decorative products, which established the company as one of the leading iron manufactures in the country.                                         

Pictures 1 & 2: High quality and highly decorative iron and brass items produced by Archibald Kenrick & Sons.

Throughout their long existence the company has continued to adapt and evolve, and as such they still survive today, producing castors, furniture fittings and window and door hardware.                                        

Figures 3 & 4: Modern items produced by Kenrick today, window fittings and castors.

To celebrate this astounding collection gift, we have produced a temporary exhibit about the Kenrick & Sons company, which will be on display over the coming weeks.