Refurbishment of Davies Brother gates at St Peter’s Church, Ruthin illuminates the town

The historic wrought iron gates at St. Peters Church, Ruthin have been brought back to former glory following a massive restoration project. Blacksmiths David and Gwilym Jones from Flintshire Forge in Holywell, Flintshire were given the honour of working on the gates originally designed and made by the Davies Brothers of Wrexham in the 18th Century.

The gates at Ruthin are a wonderful example of the quality of craftsmanship of Robert and John Davies, incorporating elegant scrolls and finials with intricate leaves and organic forms, exquisite cherubs with impressive overthrows.

David Jones of Flintshire Forge says “the gates are a true work of art and it has been a privilege to work on the restoration of them. The Davies Brothers used skilful forging techniques and quality materials to make their gates, which is why they have survived over 300 years”.

The restoration of the gates was part of a wider project at St Peter’s Church which involved illuminating the gates themselves, photovoltaic solar panels on the roof and illuminating pathways. Jessica Lloyd-Jones the artist responsible for developing the lighting scheme, says of the project, “the contemporary lighting of the historically important gates re-enforces Ruthin as a town of history and culture”.

The restoration undertaken by Flintshire Forge involved carefully removing the main gates, the side gates and the overthrows. These items were then painstakingly cleaned by hand to remove the many paint layers and to protect the integrity of the metalwork. Using traditional forging techniques new leaves and scrolls were made to match those corroded over the years, worn and eroded rivets and hinges were renewed using wrought iron. To finish, the gates were painted and gold leaf applied, accentuating the fine detail and original glory.

David says of the project “it is wonderful that funding is available to invest in the heritage of our towns and the preservation of such historically important gates as those at St Peters. We have begun work on a restoration project at St Giles’ Church in Wrexham on another set of Davies Brother gates which is very exciting and which should be complete early in the New Year”.

The St Peters’ Gates Lighting Project received funding through the rural development plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Cadwyn Clwyd. Match funding was received from Ruthin Town Council.

Notes:

Flintshire Forge is part of Flintshire Fabrications Limited, based in Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales

Further information on the project is available from Clare Jones on 01352 711701 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photographer : Andrew Gale