Messrs Farmer and Brindley was one of the leading firms of craftsmen or artisan sculptors in Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century. As well as producing stone and wood carvings, its craftsmen were modellers in clay and the company was one of the leading stone merchants of the Victorian period. The company worked with Alfred Waterhouse on up to one hundred buildings including London's Natural History Museum, and it was a regular collaborator with George Gilbert Scott on both new buildings in the gothic revival or neo-gothic style and on restoration projects. As well as stone work on the outside of buildings they also produced church furnishings such as reredos for the interiors. One of the notable pieces they worked on for Scott was the Albert Memorial in London. They also worked with numerous other architects and restorers. Farmer and Brindley were one of the principal sponsors, alongside Doulton's, of the Lambeth School of Art, now known as the City and Guilds of London Art School.
