Name: Celebrating the History of British Jeffrey Diamond - Blue Plaque Unveiling
Start: 2026-03-04T15:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-04T16:00:00+00:00
Location: WX Wakefield

Celebrating the History of British Jeffrey Diamond - Blue Plaque Unveiling

Join us as we celebrate the history of British Jeffrey Diamond, a company that manufactured mining machinery in Wakefield for over 100 years
About this Event

Come along to Wakefield Exchange (WX) on Wednesday afternoon, 4th March 2026 as we celebrate the history of one of Wakefield's iconic manufacturing companies, British Jeffrey Diamond.

The Company

Originally established in Wakefield in 1897 as the Diamond Coalcutter Company, the firm acquired the name of British Jeffery Diamond in 1926, following a merger with the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio.

Based at Thornes Moor Road, the company employed thousands of local people over the course of its history before finally closing in 2000. Today, an active friends group, The Friends of British Jeffrey Diamond, can be found on Facebook.

The Plaque

The nomination for the plaque was put forward by the Friends of British Jeffrey Diamond and has been supported with funding provided by Wakefield Council Community Grants programme. Following the unveiling, the plaque will be erected at the former BJD site on Thornes Moor Road.

The Event

The event is taking place at Wakefield Exchange (WX), the former Market Hall, on Union Street, next door to Wakefield bus station and will start at 3pm.

Although the building is open all day and you can arrive at any time, we invite you to join us from 2:30pm onwards.

The event is free to attend and is open to all. You do not need to be a member of either Wakefield Civic Society or The Friends of British Jeffrey Diamond to attend.

The event will include presentations and guest speakers and is expected to end at around 4pm although people will be able to stay on and chat until the building closes at 6pm. (Please note that no refreshments will be served at this event. However, there is a bar on site, open throughout the day, and a cafe open at lunch time.)

Although there is no parking on site, there are several car parks close by, some with up to two hours free parking.

Book your ticket now!

While booking for this event is not essential, by booking a ticket, you will help us to identify demand which will help us to plan for a successful event. You will also receive updates and reminders as we draw near to the date of the event.

Photography

Please note that we will be taking photographs of the event from 2:30pm onwards. These photos may be used in our social media and in our publications, both on-line and in print.