| Activity | 'Naturalists, osteologists and furriers to the Brighton Aquarium & Museum'. The successful family firm was started by Robert Brazenor (1819 - 1901). He and his wife had seven children, five of whom survived into adulthood. They all entered the family business though the girls worked in the furrier shop alongside their mother. They briefly operated at 20 Duke Street, and afterwards they moved to 39 Lewes Road where they remained until they closed down. Robert's style of taxidermy could be described as 'more enthusiastic than strictly accurate'. His representations of "The Babe in the Woods" adequately deomstrates this.
Brazenor Brothers undertook a great deal of osteological work for the Rottindean based collector, Frederick W. Lucas, much of which can be seen in the skeleton gallery in the Booth Museum. One of their biggest tasks was the preperation of the Killer Whale skeleton in the Booth Museum. They undertook several other preperations of large material, eg. the 20.7 meter long Rorqual. This was sectioned and allowed to rot down in specially built vats on Race Hill. Eventually the skeleton was erected on Boscombe Pier, near Bournemouth, from where it was discarded. For many years Alfred, the youngest son, was the mainstay of the business. In this he was joined by his son Herbert Ferris Brazenor. Herbert joined the staff of Brighton Musuem and rose to become Deputy Director. He died in 1972.
Tring correspondent. |