Object in Focus - Brocks Fireworks

These are various fireworks made by Brocks Fireworks Ltd. of Hemel Hempstead including a "Brock's Bolide" rocket, six penny bangers or "Brock's Bang", one penny-and-a-half "Brock's Bang" and two other untitled fireworks.

Brocks is by far the oldest and one of the most respected firework manufacturing and display companies and one whose very name is synonymous with the national and international face of the British firework industry.

Brocks was founded in Islington in 1698 by John Brock. In the early 1930s, the company moved their factory from Sutton to the 207-acre site at Woodhall Farm, Hemel Hempstead, which was being farmed by one of the six Brocks brothers. They built what was the world’s largest firework factory, which involved dismantling some of the buildings at Sutton and moving the sections to Hemel Hempstead where they were rebuilt.

Brocks remained in Hemel Hempstead for almost 50 years until eventually downsizing and relocating. The site at Woodhall Farm was converted into a residential area.