Person    | Male  Born 1853  Died 1906

Alfred Beit

Co-founder and funder (with Sir Julius Wernher) of the Royal School of Mines building.

Born Hamburg, learnt the diamond trade in Amsterdam and went to Kimberley where he met Wernher and Cecil Rhodes. In 1884 he and Wernher converted the firm Jules Porgès & Co into Wernher, Beit & Co. On his death he left vast sums of money for education and research in South Africa, Rhodesia, Britain and Germany.

His brother Otto, also made a fortune in the diamond trade. See Otto's page for the difficulties this is causing Imperial College in 2021.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Alfred Beit

Commemorated ati

Other Subjects

garment and textile industries in the East End

garment and textile industries in the East End

The origins of the East End textile industry can be traced to the 14th century when Flemish artisans set up dye works on the River Lea. In the late 17th century the Huguenots arrived in Spitalfield...

Concept, Commerce, Craft / Design, Industry

4 memorials
Palmer Tyre Company

Palmer Tyre Company

From Car History: In June 1892 John F. Palmer (American) obtained two US patents for a “thread-fabric” bicycle pneumatic tire. Shortly afterwards he moved to England; registering the Palmer Tire Co...

Group, Industry, Transport

1 memorial
Sir Otto Beit

Sir Otto Beit

Financier, philanthropist, and art connoisseur.  Born Berlin.  Younger brother to Alfred and made his fortune the same way: mining diamonds.  Came to London in 1896 and took British citizenship.  G...

Person, Industry, Philanthropy, Race Issues, Germany

1 memorial
Frederick Nettlefold

Frederick Nettlefold

Industrialist, his company was Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. Born in Acton, London, son of John Sutton Nettlefold (1792–1866). JSN was in business with Frederick's cousin Joseph Chamberlain. Freder...

Person, Industry, Philanthropy

1 memorial
Edwin Thomas Knott

Edwin Thomas Knott

Edwin Thomas Knott was born on 3 December 1894 in Greenwich, London, the eldest of the twelve children of Edwin Thomas Knott (1873-1938) and Elizabeth Mary Knott née Barlow (1875-1941). His birth w...

Person, Armed Forces, Industry

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial