Martin and Pole - estate agents and chartered surveyors

BB Hemy was born in Australia where his family had emigrated in 1852. Like both of his siblings, he later returned to his family's traditional home at Newcastle-on-Tyne where he settled to paint for the remainder of his life in North Shields. Please click on the photo for more information

Established in 1894 at Longton, Stoke-on-Trent by James Wright Beswick and his sons John and Gilbert, the Beswick Pottery first made its name producing affordable tablewares and ornaments. Please click for more information

Although now familiar to generations of children, the industrial process of die-casting only came into being towards the end of the First World War. Forcing a molten alloy into a mould under pressure allowed for precise surface detail and strength. Please click for more detail

The F. Barbedienne foundry was started in Paris in 1838 by Ferdinand Barbedienne and Achille Collas, who was the inventor of a machine that would mechanically reduce statues. They at first produced bronze reductions of antique sculptures of Greek and Roman origin. Please click for more detail

Records date back to 1720 for a small glassworks off London's Fleet Street, but Britain's longest running glass house, best known as the Whitefriars factory, really came into its own when James Powell purchased the business for his three sons in 1834. Please click for more detail