Aviva Group Archive’s latest exhibition shines a light on some of the more unusual objects held in the collection. From a Roman amphora to an 18th Century pistol to a 1980s carpet tile, the eclectic objects illuminate just some of the fascinating stories preserved in the archive. Here, we guide you through a selection of the curios on display and reveal the unique history that has shaped Aviva as you know it today.

Flintlock Duelling Pistols, c1798

This is one of a pair of duelling pistols believed to have been made by Isaac Walker of Norwich. They belonged to Thomas Bignold, the founder of Norwich Union, who is said to have used them to protect himself on business trips between Norwich and Westerham in Kent.

Gold Presentation Seal, 1908

This seal incorporates the coat of arms of the Amicable Society, founded in 1706 and absorbed by Norwich Union in 1866. It was produced to mark the centenary of Norwich Union Life Insurance Society and presented to George O. Clark, Chief of Staff, in June 1908.

Hayward’s Hand Fire Grenades, 19th century

These bottles, filled with liquids such as salt water, were designed to fight small fires. Users could either break the grenades over the fire or throw them into the flames where the wire around the bottle necks would heat up and cause them to explode. These examples were owned by Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society.

Promotional Match Box, 1899

Made by the Whitehead and Hoag Company of Newark New Jersey, this match box promotes the Hand in Hand Fire and Life Insurance Society, founded in 1696 as the UK’s first mutual fire insurer. The front features the company’s logo of two clasped hands, whilst the reverse gives details of its financial standing in 1899.

Wooden Printing Block, 19th century

Box wood engraved printing block featuring Norwich Cathedral as used in promotional material for Norwich Union. This block was acquired in the 1950s from the printing company Fletchers of Davy Place Norwich before being donated to the Aviva Group Archive. A similar design was employed by Philip C Priestley in this iconic poster produced for the company, c1950.

Presentation Key, 1911

The key features the Home Drummond family crest and was presented to Lady Georgina Home Drummond to mark the opening of General Accident’s new London office at Aldwych in 1911. The engraving on the presentation case says that it was given as a mark of appreciation of her husband, Colonel Henry Home Drummond, chairman of the company, who died less than a week before the planned official opening of the new building, in May 1911. The building still stands today, although it is now Clement House, part of the London School of Economics.

Presentation Gold Pocket Watch, 1927

This watch, engraved on reverse ‘J R Cornhill 06.08.27’, was one of several presented to staff at Commercial Union. The recipients were those who volunteered to help rescue the company’s records after the head office building on Cornhill collapsed when foundations were being dug by their neighbour, Lloyds Bank. According to newspaper reports of the event: ‘The strangest sight of all however was the clerical staff of the assurance company working strenuously removing from exposed rooms high up books and papers.’ This watch was originally presented to John Ray and donated to the Aviva Group Archive by his son.

Roman Pottery Amphora, 1st century

This amphora, or jug, was one of several finds unearthed during excavations for the building of Sun Life’s new head office on Cheapside in 1956. The excavations revealed a large Roman bathhouse complex. The jug was found, along with some writing tablets and the remains of leather shoes, in a large timber-lined pit, near the hottest of the bathhouse rooms.

Fuller Calculator, 1950

Patented by George Fuller in 1878, this type of scientific calculator, also known as Fuller’s cylindrical slide rule, was the most advanced calculating tool of its time. They were still in use at Norwich Union into the early 1970s. In the image on the right, a Norwich Union employee uses a Fuller calculator, c1962.

Magnetic Computer Storage Tape, c1970

This reel of 1085 tape was produced by English Electric LEO and used with Sun Life’s KDF9 computer. The Sun’s KDF9 set up included 4,096,48 bit words of ferrite core storage backed up with 9 magnetic tape stations in which reels of magnetic tape transferred information to and from the computer’s storage. The KDF9 was installed in 1963 and Sun Life had a contract to receive 200 of the type 1085 (80Kc) magnetic tapes per year until 1975. The photo on the left shows two members of staff loading magnetic tape connected to Norwich Union’s mainframe computer, the Ferranti Orion, c1964.

Carpet Tile with Norwich Union Logo, 1988

This framed Norwich Union branded carpet tile was given to Norman Dickerson on his retirement by his colleagues in the Maintenance Team. “Dicky”, as he was known in the office, joined Norwich Union in 1953 and retired in 1988. He served on the Retired Staff Committee, continuing to do so for several years after his own retirement. One of his many duties was replacing damaged carpet tiles which is why his colleagues chose this unique retirement gift. This item was donated to the Archive by his son.

Unfortunately Surrey House is temporarily closed to the public, however you can contact us to arrange a visit.

You can discover even more about Aviva’s brilliant history on the Aviva website or for any questions get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.