


		Overview Background to the Trust Trustees Trust accounts

Background to the Bryant Trust

The Bryant Trust was set up in 1972 with the objective:

“to fund such charitable purposes primarily in the Midlands as the Trustees should at their uncontrolled discretion determine but having regard to the wishes of the original Settlors or their survivors.”

In practice the Trust supports social and community work in Birmingham, and also offers support for other charities where the Trustees have a particular interest.

The three settlors - Maisie Smith, Peggy Cole and Chris Bryant – the three children of Eb Bryant, each gifted Shares in Bryant Holdings to the Trust. Two of the three Settlors have now died, but the current Trustees include several of Eb Bryant’s grand-children. The Family Shareholding in Bryant Holdings became valuable when the Company under the Leadership of Chris Bryant was floated on the stock market in 1962 and this was the stimulus to create the Charitable Trust.

Eb, Ivy and Chris (the founder)
Eb, his wife Ivy and Chris (the founder), 1912

Bryants are a long established Birmingham civil engineering and housebuilding business.

The company was founded by Chris Bryant in 1885 (C Bryant & Son). He came to Birmingham from Bradford on Avon, to work on the extension to Snowhill Station. Birmingham was growing rapidly and he started a successful housebuilding business. Later – in 1910 - he started a chain of cinemas which showed the first silent films.

His son Eb took over the business in 1928, and showed ability and flair and under his leadership the business continued to grow and succeed. After the war the Company played an important part in the reconstruction of the city, both in civil engineering projects, and in building new council housing to replace the slums. Chris Bryant became Managing Director in 1952 on the death of his father. He floated the Company in 1962, and gradually moved the emphasis away from a Birmingham based civil engineering and municipal housing company to a national company building homes for sale (Bryant Homes).

In 2001 Bryant Homes was taken over by Taylor Woodrow, now part of the Taylor Wimpey Group, which conducts its UK house building operations under the name of Bryant Homes.

Eb Bryant in 1912
Eb Bryant in 1906

The settlors together - Maisie, Peggy and Chris
The settlors with their parents - (from left) Peggy, Maisie and Chris, 1930

Eb and Chris (the settlor) on the seafront, 1930

Chris Bryant Senior



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