The principal legacy project for the 700th anniversary of The Armourers & Brasiers' Company in 2022 was the endowment in perpetuity of the Armourers & Brasiers' Chair in Materials Science at Imperial College London. The endowment was the largest gift ever made by the Armourers & Brasiers.
Although we are no longer active in manufacturing in metals and materials, our primary charitable purpose in modern times has been to support education and research in Materials Science. Our relationship with Imperial College London is of longstanding. The Company was a founder of the City & Guilds College in 1876 which evolved into Imperial College. Each year we provide substantial support to the Department of Materials to enrich the experience of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The Deed of Gift was finalised during the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic therefore a formal signing ceremony was held online rather than at Armourers' Hall as originally planned. You can watch a short film of the event here which explains the purpose of the gift.
The first postholder of the Armourers & Brasiers' Chair is Professor Mary Ryan FREng. In October 2022, in the run up to her inaugural lecture as Armourers & Brasiers' Professor, Mary Ryan was profiled by Materials World, the member magazine of IOM3. The article also included an interview with Mike Goulette, Chairman of the Armourers & Brasiers Materials Science Committee, about the context for the endowment of the Armourers & Brasiers' Chair.
Professor Ryan gave her inaugural lecture on 3 November 2022 in the City and Guilds Building at Imperial College London. A film of her lecture is available here.
“We share a collective vision and passion for the role of Materials Science in creating a sustainable future and we are both committed to sharing that vision and passion with the next generation.”
Professor Mary Ryan
"We are delighted that Professor Mary Ryan has been appointed the first Armourers & Brasiers Professor of Materials Science at Imperial College. Professor Ryan is an outstanding research scientist and a compelling educator and advocate for Materials Science. Her portfolio of interdisciplinary research programmes illustrates the opportunities available to young people who choose to explore careers in Materials Science."
Mr Mike Goulette, Master of the Armourers & Brasiers
"This gift will be transformative, enabling us to compete at the very highest international level and to target emerging new areas of Materials Science."
Professor Peter Haynes, Head of Department of Materials, Imperial College London