University honours pioneering female engineer with the Verena Holmes Building

Born in 1889 in Ashford, Kent, Verena became a trailblazer for women in the industry as arguably the first female in the UK to have a full-time career as a professional mechanical engineer.

An advocate for women in engineering and dedicated to the development of female engineers, she represented a breakthrough for equal rights in the early 20^th century. In 1919 she was a founding member of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), became the first female member elected to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE ) in 1924 and in her own engineering firm, set up in 1946, she employed only women.

As a creative and talented mechanical engineer, Verena’s technical specialities included marine and locomotive engines, diesel and internal combustion engines. She was also a prolific inventor with strong medical links and took out a dozen patents for medical and safety devices and internal combustion engine improvements. Her inventions include a poppet valve for steam locomotives, a rotary valve for internal combustion engines and a pneumo-thorax apparatus for treating patients with tuberculosis. Her engineering firm also created the first practical safety guillotine for paper, making it suitable for introduction into schools.

Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, said: “We are delighted to announce that our new £65 million pound STEM building will be named in honour one of the country’s, and Kent’s, most pioneering female engineers, Verena Holmes.

“Verena led the way for women, creating a successful career not only for herself as a mechanical engineer, but also encouraging, advocating and training other female engineers at a time when the world of industry was dominated by men. It is especially poignant to make this announcement on International Women’s Day, during British Science Week, to recognise and celebrate her achievements, and all those women who have followed her into engineering and the STEM industries.

“The building is also home to the first Kent and Medway Medical School (a joint venture between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent), providing a centre in the region for medical education and research to develop the area’s health workforce, and transform health care provision in Kent and Medway. We are sure that all our students and staff, from engineering to science, health, medicine, psychology and policing will take great pride in their new facilities and enjoy what the building has to offer them during their studies and time at Christ Church.”

Professor Helen James, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (and also a mechanical engineer), said: “Verena Holmes was a trailblazing mechanical engineer, and we are proud to honour her today with the naming of our new STEM building. As a fellow mechanical engineer, it is important to acknowledge and celebrate Verena's achievements and legacy, not only for her work in engineering and innovative designs in medical safety, but also for her advocacy in supporting women in engineering.

“Through our new engineering and technology courses, the work of the University’s Engineering Design Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub with local businesses, and our outreach activities in local schools inspiring females to engage with STEM subjects, we too are dedicating our support to women in engineering and technology. Showing young people from Kent that they too can have amazing careers in engineering like Verena and change the world. This is just the start of our commitment to supporting our students and local businesses with developing a diverse and highly skilled workforce for the future economic growth of our region.”

The University received funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), former Higher Education Funding Council for England, and Garfield Weston Foundation for this major science, health and engineering facility in Canterbury.

Philippa Charles, Director, Garfield Weston Foundation said: “We are delighted to support the important work of Canterbury Christ Church University and its new STEM building. As well as a centre for industry collaboration and education that directly responds to employers’ needs, it will champion widening access for women and students from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase graduate and workforce diversity. The creation of these specialist, industry-relevant facilities will produce the next generation of much needed highly skilled graduates in engineering, science and technology careers across Kent and Medway. We hope that this grant will help to ensure that students from a wide range of backgrounds are represented within critical UK STEM professions, to make a lasting difference to society.”

Built on the former Canterbury Prison site, which the University acquired in 2014, the building houses innovative teaching and research facilities for engineering and technology, health and social care, the Kent and Medway Medical School, life sciences, sport and exercise science, psychology and policing. It has also been designed to be available for use by local technology and engineering firms and is the home to the Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise Hub (EDGE Hub), a partnership between Canterbury Christ Church University and industry.

Becky Thomson, Christ Church Students’ Union President, said: “Christ Church has always been a place that people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to engage with higher education. The new STEM building is a fantastic investment in the future of all students, particularly those who have traditionally been underrepresented in medicine and engineering such as women and those from a low socio-economic background.

“The state-of-the-art facilities will provide an incredible underpinning for students’ future careers, providing unique opportunities which are unmatched in the South East. As a Students’ Union, we are extremely excited and pleased that the University has chosen to invest in disciplines that are vital to the local and national economy, and to focus on improving the diversity of these key professions. We look forward to welcoming our students to their new building and continuing to support them to have a fantastic student experience.”

Notes to editors

Main image Verena Holmes, President of the Women's Engineering Society 1930, Copyright WES

Verena Holmes

• Born 1889, Ashford, Kent.
• She took night classes at the Shoreditch Technical Institute and attended a technical college in Lincoln and served as an apprentice form-fitter and drafter before graduation from Loughborough Engineering College in 1922 with a BSc(Eng) degree.
• Together with Caroline Haslett and Claudia Parsons, she was a founding member of the Women's Engineering Society in 1919, its president in 1931 and the first practising engineer to serve as president of the Society.
• She was the first woman member elected to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), in 1924.
• She was employed by Research Engineers Ltd. from 1932–39.
• She was appointed headquarters technical officer with the Ministry of Labour between 1940-1944. During World War II she worked on naval weaponry and in 1940 became adviser to Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour, and was influential in setting up the Women’s Technical Service Register (1942) which devised a training course for women munitions workers.
• She founded the engineering firm of Holmes and Leather in 1946.
• In 1958, she published a booklet, Training and Opportunities for Women in Engineering.

The Verena Holmes Building

Funding: 

• £6.12 million for EDGE Hub from South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) Local Growth Fund (LGF) 
• £9 million for Kent and Medway Medical School (shared with the University of Kent) from South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) Local Growth Fund (LGF) 
• £7 million from former Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) (now Office for Students (OFS)) Catalyst Fund 
• £500,000 from Garfield Weston Foundation

The South East LEP

The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) is a genuine partnership for growth between business, government and education. We put the role of enterprise – as the driving motor of the economy – at the heart of everything we do; and we work in partnership with central government and its key agencies to pursue and attract major investment into the South East to deliver significant economic growth.

One of 38 LEPs established by the government, our role is to forge a partnership which properly understands the economic challenges and opportunities of our area, encourage an environment which delivers prosperity and to be directly accountable to local people and local businesses. LEPs decide what the priorities should be for investment in roads, buildings, and facilities in the area as part of an integrated approach to growth and infrastructure delivery.

We represent the largest LEP area in England outside London, in terms of population and economic output, and cover an area encompassing the local authority areas of East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock. Head to southeastlep.com to find out more.