It is 163 years since Thomas Burslem trecked down from Burslem in Staffordshire to set up in business as a stonemason in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. After all that time, the business he formed, Burslem & Son, have now left Tunbridge Wells and Kent. They have only moved two miles down the road to Frant, but it moves them out of Kent and into Sussex.
Nevertheless, it was the Duke of Kent who last month (November) officially opened the new, 5,000m2 premises – twice the size of their Tunbridge Wells site – that Burslem have moved to in order to accommodate their growth.
The Royal Duke was there primarily as patron of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, because Burslem have supplied more than 150,000 memorials to the War Graves Commission since it was established by Rudyard Kipling after World War I.
As well as individual stones, Burslem made the war memorials at Etaples, Tyne Cot, Kensington, Tunbridge Wells, Dar Es Salam and Gallipoli. The company also supplied all the engraved Portland stone panels to the war memorials at Thiepval and The Menin Road Gate at Ypres.
More recently they have been involved in the new war memorials at Detling Hill and Tonbridge, both in Kent.
But now, while occasional contracts are carried out for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the emphasis of the business has moved towards supplying hand-made memorials to local churches and cemeteries, architectural stone for construction and renovation work, and granite, marble, limestone and engineered quartz for kitchens and bathrooms.
David Hall, Managing Director of Burslem, says: “We have been trying to find the right location to bring our business together for a number of years and are delighted with the outcome. We are now able to offer our customers a huge range of materials in stock here and from local suppliers, and offer a wide range of samples and demonstrated applications in our showroom.
“It was, of course, an honour to be hosts to His Royal Highness, who has a keen interest in the work we do, the skills and technology we employ and the materials we work with.
“It was wonderful to be able to introduce him to the team here as well as a number of our regular clients who joined us for the opening.”