Firmin and Sons help crown 17th monarch
Tens of thousands of Birmingham products will be on prominent display at Saturday 's Coronation of King Charles the Third - marking the 17th new monarch served by city button and badge maker Firmin and Sons in nearly 370 years.
Firmin first supplied its goods for the Coronation of Charles the Second in 1661- and is still going strong today as the Royal manufacturer of choice for buttons, badges and insignia when the new Monarch steps up to the throne.
The Newtown company - which is featured on a BBC2 special programme Coronation Tailors: Fit For a King at 9pm tomorrow (Wed) - has been supplying its specialist products for Coronations and other momentous occasions in world history ever since its foundation by Ipswich-born Thomas Firmin in 1655.
Tony Kelly (pictured), senior sales manager at Firmin, said: “Saturday 's Coronation is a very proud day for us. The people here have been working very hard over the last six months and they will see the fruits of their labours when the King enters Westminster Abbey.
“There will be about 7,500 to 8,000 troops on parade and we have had to make 46 brand new cap badges for the Army, Navy, RAF, Royal Marines etc. In total we are supplying tens of thousands of products for the Coronation.
“Other companies are involved but we are doing the volumes, the lion 's share. Everyone here has done an awful lot of work in a very, very short period of time. It has been quite a challenging time for us, we have been working flat out.
“Firmin and Sons have been the company of choice because we have the ability to turn things around in time for the Coronation - we have only had six months to do all the work. ”
Buttons, badges and insignia made by the Birmingham company have featured at many events in global history down through the centuries, including Waterloo, the Charge of the Light Brigade, Trafalgar and Rorke 's Drift to more recent occasions such as the 2012 Olympics and the weddings of Princes William and Harry.
The order book for the firm, part of the privately-owned Kashket Group, has also included buttons for MCC members at Lords, and products for staff at Claridges, the Dorchester, the Ritz, along with many other prestige customers. Meanwhile, Kashket and Partners - Firmin 's sister company in Tottenham, London - is supplying uniforms for Saturday 's Coronation.
The badge and button maker - which is the UK 's oldest privately-owned business - is also preparing for the King 's first official birthday ceremony in June, when it will supply products for the King 's Horse.
The firm, which has only had four family owners throughout its long history, employs 55 people in Birmingham, 75 in London, and around 100 alteration tailors dotted around the country.