Thomas Lyte, a silversmith workshop based in Hainault, east London, is the little-known craftsman behind some of sport’s most recognisable trophies.
The firm, which holds a royal warrant, has produced silverware for competitions ranging from the FA Cup to The Hundred and the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Despite its relatively young age, having launched in 2007, Thomas Lyte is already recognised as goldsmiths and silversmiths to the King.
The company is backed by London and Partners’ Made Smarter London programme and has remained an owner-managed business throughout its near two-decade history.
Chief operating officer David Brewer says the firm competes on quality and has been fortunate in the governing bodies and organisations it works with.
“We compete very much on quality and we’re blessed by the governing bodies and organisations that we work with,” Brewer tells City AM.
Brewer says Thomas Lyte is perhaps most famous for its remake of the 2014 FA Cup, a trophy that requires periodic recreation because its many winners gradually wear it down over the years.
The workshop in Hainault produces everything on site, a point of pride for Brewer, who emphasises the authenticity of the manufacturing process over outsourcing production abroad.
“There’s a real authenticity to what we do,” Brewer says. “We’re not making it abroad. You can come and see your piece being created from start to finish.”
Silversmithing is now classified as an endangered trade in the UK, and Thomas Lyte has responded by focusing heavily on training the next generation of craftspeople through apprenticeships.
“Silversmithing is now referenced as an endangered trade so we very much concentrate on training the next generation through apprenticeships,” Brewer adds.
The firm has also been watching emerging areas of the sports market closely, with women’s sport and esports identified as particularly compelling growth opportunities in recent years.
“Sport is a growing market and in the last couple of years, areas such as women’s sport and esports are really fascinating sub-markets,” Brewer says.
Despite approaches from outside investors, the business has deliberately stayed independent since its founding, with Brewer describing that philosophy as central to the company’s identity.
“When we launched the business in 2007 we decided we were going to keep it as an owner-managed business, so whilst we’ve had approaches we really believe in that philosophy,” he says.
The trophies Thomas Lyte produces are notably varied in design, with cricket in particular standing apart from convention, including The Hundred’s distinctive H-shaped trophy and the mace awarded for the World Test Championship.
When asked which trophy he holds closest to his heart, Brewer is reluctant to single one out, drawing instead on a warm and telling analogy.
“Is it the Six Nations? Is it the FA Cup? Or something a bit more contemporary, like the Women’s Rugby World Cup?” he says.
“The truth is they’re a little bit like children: you love them all, they all have their own personalities and backstories.”