The relationship between Imperial's Faculty of Engineering and the City Livery Companies was celebrated at the opening of the heritage area.

Mr Harry Morton Neal was the main driver behind the development of the shields.

The heritage area is located in the City and Guilds Building at Imperial College London, which has been undergoing a £100 million refurbishment. When fully completed, the building will house both the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics.

On 28 March 2017, an event was held in the Heritage Area to celebrate the continued relationship between the City Livery companies and the Faculty. At the event, seventeen shields representing the City Livery Companies and the City of London Corporation were rededicated. As part of the refurbishment, the shields have been relocated to a specific area dedicated to recognising and celebrating the heritage of the Faculty.

The Faculty has a strong historical link to the City & Guilds Institute (CGI) and sixteen City of London livery companies. It was these sixteen livery companies that established the City & Guilds Institute, which was to later found the constituent Engineering College of Imperial - the City & Guilds College.

Professor Jeff Magee, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “These shields underline the important role that our advocates, supporters and friends play. The Faculty of Engineering was founded through strong partnerships and we continue to value these to this day.

Representatives from the livery companies at the event

“Aeronautical Engineering will be moving in during the summer and with the refurbishment nearly complete, we are very happy to have this opportunity to again recognise our heritage by opening this area with its display of shields of the original livery companies.”

Representatives from the Livery companies spoke during the ceremony. The first speaker, Mr Morton Neal, an alumnus of Civil Engineering (BEng ACGI 1953) and a past Master of the Carpenters’ Company spoke about the historical background to the Imperial-livery relationship. He was also the main driver behind the development of the shields.

Dr Simon Archer, past Master of the Armourers & Brasiers, and also now a College tutor spoke about the Armourers & Brasiers continued support for the Department of Materials through student bursaries, prizes and travel grants.

The third speaker, Mrs Judith Cobham-Lowe, second Warden of the Goldsmiths Company, spoke about the Goldsmiths’ relationship with Imperial and their historical support of Engineering and outreach at the College.

The Goldsmiths Company supported the extension to the Royal School of Mines building in the 1920’s, as well as the extension to the structures lab in Civil Engineering in the 1930’s, the production of the Imperial College Mace and then more recently providing support for College’s outreach activities in the form of Reach Out Reporter- a digital news service available to primary school teachers allowing them to bring science and technology into the classroom.