To identify which buildings house the various workshops and classrooms, Steve decided it was time to name the units, but he didn’t want to risk a public vote. Instead, he looked to the history of the gas, plumbing and electrical trades for inspiration, and each building is now named after an important British icon of the industries.
The four commemorated are:
William Gilbert, 1544 – 1603, inventor of the first electrical measuring instrument
William Murdoch, 1754 – 1789, the first to demonstrate gas lighting in 1792
George Jennings, 1810 – 1882, created the first public flush toilets for the Great Exhibition in 1851
James Young, 1811 – 1883, patented paraffin and built the world’s first commercial oil works
Signs by each entrance explain the names, so the young people starting out at apprentices today can think about the pioneers who made it all possible.