The Unlikely Story of Brownings: 100 Years of Wounds, Jokes, and Signs

The history of Brownings Ltd is not just the story of a Hull-based business; it is a remarkable tale of relentless reinvention, eccentric products, and a community spirit that endures a century later. We are proud to be the current custodians of a legacy that began with one visionary inventor.

The Spark: From Dental Precision to the Flash of Inspiration (1925-1950)

In 1925, Walter Willoughby Browning, a meticulous dental mechanic, founded Browning’s Dental Laboratory. We built the early years on crafting perfect moulded dentures, demanding the same precision we apply to our signage today.

The key to discovering our 100-year history lay in a touching find: the son of a former employee, Mr Robert Holden, brought in his father’s job acceptance letter, signed by W.W.B. himself in 1948. This discovery also unearthed copies of Flash: The Magazine of Browning’s. The 1950 edition, celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary, confirmed our 1925 origin.

The Triple Pivot: Wounds, Jokes, and Perspex

As demand for dentures faded in the 1950s. Browning, a man once described by the Hull Daily Mail as having an unstoppable “Wally’s Way” for adapting, initiated three dramatic, profitable pivots:

The Wound Maker: W.W.B. was deeply involved with the Scouts and, noting their need for better training aids, he invented and patented Plastifol. This unique plastic material allowed him to manufacture the world’s first truly realistic artificial wounds and blood for first aid training. He became the “Wound Maker” of Hull, supplying the British Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, and the Ministry of Defence. A specialism that continued until the last wound-maker, Pauline Yapp, retired in 2021 after 51 years.
The Practical Joke King: An accidental piece of fun in the lab. An employee moulding a fake fried egg from the Plastifol material, sparked a second empire. We launched a globally popular line of practical jokes. Including “The Human Toe” and “Artificial Vomit,” often featuring colourful artwork by Hull cartoonist Ern Shaw. For decades, the same Hull factory was manufacturing life-saving training aids and world-famous novelty pranks.
The Plastics Pioneer: Simultaneously, the company became the UK’s first official distributor of Perspex in the 1950s. This move into commercial and industrial plastics (from machine guards to leaflet holders) set the course for the modern business.

A Factory, A Family: Tales from the Flash Magazine

The spirit of Brownings was captured in the pages of our company magazine, Flash. The issues from 1949 to 1951 reveal a thriving social calendar and a fierce sense of community:

Social Life: The staff were always busy, with reports on Fancy Dress Balls at St. Columba’s Hall, group excursions to Bolton Abbey. and Goathland, and the formation of numerous clubs: Dancing, Billiards, Camera, Rambling, and Cycling.
Sporting Heroes: The pride was palpable when the Football Team was congratulated in 1951 for winning the League Championship. Cup (Division 4) and being promoted. In the Table Tennis section, Ron Parry was celebrated as the Knockout champion.
The Future: The 1951 editorial announced the “Site of New Laboratories and Offices” and showcased a model of the new, modern facility, an early sign of the company’s continuous push to evolve.

The Immortal Wally and the Final Pivot (1968-1993)

When Walter Willoughby Browning passed away in 1968. The Hull Daily Mail featured his obituary prominently, noting that “Hull Loses ‘Wound Maker'”, commemorating his diverse inventions, including the “Browning Gun” for anaesthetics. Brownings Plantation and the scenic trail through it, “Wally’s Way,” immortalised his love for the community; he donated the land to the Scouts.

The business continued from its Holderness Road site (surviving a stolen safe report in 1975!) and carried its unique products into the late 1980s.

Brownings Today: Custodians of a Great Business (1993-2025)

The modern era began in 1993 when Steve Crowley took over and focused the business entirely on manufacturing signage. After officially rebranding simply to Brownings Ltd in 2007, the company cemented its niche as a leading trade-only signage specialist.

Today, led by a dedicated team, Brownings is a powerhouse of in-house fabrication, securing a key partnership as an official distributor for SignComp Europe flex face systems. We operate from a 13,000 sq ft Hull facility, carrying the inventor’s original spirit of quality and agility. We are now also an Employee Owned Trust (EOT), ensuring the next generation of staff are part of the family, just as they were in the days of the Flash magazine.

As Sales Director Richard Vincent puts it: “We’re just the current custodians of a great business. Hopefully, we’ll see Brownings through to the next 100 years.”