Second Tuesday Talks - Philip Gaches: Holidays with tools

For their March Second Tuesday Talk, the York Consortium for Craft and Conservation are excited to continue the theme of 'Conservation Without Borders' with Philip Gaches. As an expert in traditional plasterwork, Philip's work graces some of our most treasured Royal Palaces and his knowledge is in demand by craft professionals around the world.

During his talk, Philip will delve into the intricacies of travelling to remote and hard-to-reach locations with his tools. He'll share his experiences of arriving with little preparation, and being greeted by numerous delegates, as well as discussing how he sources materials and resources to provide the necessary information to his clients.

Read more: Second Tuesday Talks - Philip Gaches: Holidays with tools

World famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society has fanlight by Yorkshire craftsman

The fanlight is an architectural device of having a window or 'light' above a doorway to allow light into an otherwise gloomy hall or passageway in the shape of a fan.

Initially, fanlight windows were rectangular and this example made by Anthony Temperton is above the dining room of the world famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Edinburgh – a stunning contemporary conversion of a Georgian New Town townhouse – where the whisky bottle is kept away from the stove and reserved for postprandial tipples – all bottlings are straight from the cask and unique to the society.

Read more: World famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society has fanlight by Yorkshire craftsman

Locally-made tiles allow a jewel of the Jewellery Quarter to shine again

An award-winning restoration project on the Grade Two*-listed Argent Centre in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter has included matching tiles from nearby Brierley Hill-based Dreadnought Tiles.

Originally known as the Albert Works, the Argent Centre was designed by J G Bland and built in 1863 as a pen manufacturing centre consisting of rows of workshops overlooking an internal square courtyard. It is believed that the original building had two impressive corner turrets looking out over Legge Lane, which were truncated sometime after 1945.

Read more: Locally-made tiles allow a jewel of the Jewellery Quarter to shine again

York Handmade unveils 'transformational' £1.5m state-of-the-art machinery

The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has invested £1.5 million in brand-new machinery which will transform how the company makes bricks.

York Handmade, who are now the UK’s leading small independent brickmaker, is confident this investment will open a new chapter in the company’s illustrious history.

The first bricks from the new plant will be available in March.

Read more: York Handmade unveils 'transformational' £1.5m state-of-the-art machinery

Do you need to spend a fortune on a microphone?

By Paul Dougherty, managing director, Blaydon Communications Ltd.

Don’t worry, this article isn’t going to get too in depth from a technical point of view, but it does steer close to it! The argument of whether or not you need to spend a fortune on a microphone is a difficult one to answer. As with all things in life, you need to buy the best you can afford, and this will yield the best outcome for you and your pocket in the long run. Saying that, sometimes it is worth saving a little longer and spending a little more than you’d planned for too.

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Hinowa spider ‘vital’ to clear trees laying siege to castle

Tree surgeons have become kings of the castle after taking delivery from Access Platform Sales of a Hinowa Lightlift 17.75 Performance IIIS spider platform.

That’s because their first project for the exceptional tracked boom lift has been to clear diseased ash trees from around a Welsh medieval castle.

And without it, certain elements of the project would have been impossible to carry out, said Tom Morris, Director of Morris’s Grounds Maintenance of Rhadyr, near Usk, in Monmouthshire.

Read more: Hinowa spider ‘vital’ to clear trees laying siege to castle

Wales’s medieval jewel now sounds as magnificent as it looks

St Asaph Cathedral dates back 1,400 years, with the current building dating from the 13th century. The cathedral now benefits from a bespoke, comprehensive premium sound system designed and commissioned by expert engineers from Richard King Systems.

In addition to significantly enhancing the sound reproduction for services and events at the cathedral, the new system provides a matrix of selectable audio feeds for both live streaming and recording which is attracting viewers both in the UK and overseas.

Read more: Wales’s medieval jewel now sounds as magnificent as it looks

Summertime and the lightning is striking!

With summer in the offing there is actually a greater risk of thunderstorms and lightning strikes. That is because they occur in specific conditions, requiring two basic elements – moisture and rapidly-rising warm air. High humidity combines with warm temperatures to create a large amount of warm, moist air that can form a thunderstorm as it rises into the atmosphere.

Adrian Brown of lightning protection experts Lightning Strike Ltd has researched the causes of the increase in storms and explains it in his blog.

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AV community prepares for its annual gathering

The annual meeting and exhibition of the AV industry’s trade association ISCVE will be taking place in person on 21-22 March at its traditional venue, the Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry. ISCVEx 2023 will be the premier event for audio, communications and AV professionals.

In a post urging potential exhibitors to act fast to secure space, ISCVE said: “We are thrilled to have such amazing support from our industry. This year we are expecting 38 exhibitors and more than 200 attendees and we cannot wait to see everyone there!”

Visitors can expect to see the latest products and services from leading suppliers in the sound, communications and AV industry, as well as learn about cutting-edge technology during the seminars.

Read more: AV community prepares for its annual gathering

Revamped masterpiece adds clarity to its delivery

While Rochdale’s Grade One-listed Victorian Gothic Town Hall is one of the finest municipal buildings in Britain, renowned for its unique and detailed architecture, it also functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and houses local government departments, including the borough’s civil registration office.

The extensive work being carried out will also create an open and accessible community space, featuring exhibition rooms and a new Bright Hall next to the Great Hall, for community events to take place.

Read more: Revamped masterpiece adds clarity to its delivery

Lincolnshire ‘Queen’ of parish churches is latest to benefit from lighting specialists’ attention

St Andrew’s Church in Heckington, Lincolnshire, is a quite magnificent parish church. Built in the 1300s in the decorated style of the period, it is adorned inside and out with ‘many statues, gargoyles, beasts, royal faces, angels and animals leaping from the world and imagination of the 14th-century stone carvers’.

The 14th-century church was endowed by a former vicar, one Richard de Potesgrave, who was chaplain to both Edward II and Edward III. How a lowly vicar could take on the building of a magnificent church is explained by a letter written in 1892 by the Venerable Edward Trollope, Bishop of Nottingham, quoted in a history of the church written by Sandra Sardeson.

Read more: Lincolnshire ‘Queen’ of parish churches is latest to benefit from lighting specialists’ attention

Expansion of pioneering private hospital in historic Leeds building set for approval

Planning approval is set to be granted for the second phase of a pioneering private hospital in one of Leeds’ most iconic buildings.

Leeds City Council planners are ready to give the green light to a brand-new 6,500 sq ft extension at the 17th century Red Hall House estate near Roundhay Park.

Phase One of the £8m development is complete with the multi-disciplinary Leeds Private Hospital at Red Hall now fully operational.

Read more: Expansion of pioneering private hospital in historic Leeds building set for approval