A Blue Plaque in honour of Beryl May Dent (1900 - 1977)
St. Antony's Centre (Trafford Park Heritage Centre) is delighted to have been chosen as the site for a new Blue Plaque, issued by Trafford MBC, to celebrate the life and work of Beryl May Dent, a mathematician, engineer and computer programmer, who worked as a Section Leader in the Computation department of Metropolitan Vickers in Trafford Park.
An event to unveil the plaque took place on Saturday 9th August 2025 at St. Antony's Centre. The blue plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Trafford, Councillor Jane Brophy. Cllr Brophy said: "We are paying tribute to another pioneer, a brilliant mind and someone who left an indelible mark on mathematics, engineering and computing. Beryl Dent showed that women deserved to be given equal rights when it came to education – and that their place could be in the laboratory, university or wherever their capabilities took them." Kevin Flanagan, Director of St. Antony's Centre and Trafford Park Heritage Centre paid tribute to Beryl's pioneering work, especially in what was a male-dominated engineering environment. He hoped that the blue plaque would encourage others to hear her story and to engage more young women to be inspired by Beryl's lifetime work and her contribution to the wider industrial and community of Manchester and Stretford in particular.