Families praise poignant memorial sculpture by Derbyshire craftsmen

All Steel Fabrications, a Derbyshire company that builds steel sculptures, has been praised for a ‘deeply moving’ memorial built to mark the centenary of one of Britain’s worst wartime civilian disasters.

The explosion in July 1918, at the National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire claimed 134 lives. The remains of the victims rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s in Attenborough and the church wanted to pay tribute to the courage of those who worked at the factory by commissioning a new memorial.

Read more: Families praise poignant memorial sculpture by Derbyshire craftsmen

Fine leadwork graces award-winning extension

For the new roof of a restaurant extension to the Grade One-listed Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, Matthew Marchant of M Marchant Specialist Lead Roofing Contractors Ltd used Code 6 lead throughout.

The roofing project was shortlisted in last year’s Murdoch Awards, while the new restaurant won a Mid Sussex Design Award – the commercial category of the 2019 Sussex Heritage Trust awards – and was a finalist in the 2019 SECBE Constructing Excellence Awards.

Read more: Fine leadwork graces award-winning extension

Have an extra 5% off all cast aluminium ranges this October

Rainclear Systems, the UK’s leading stockist and online retailer of metal rainwater systems are offering an extra 5% off all their Cast Aluminium rainwater Ranges in October 2020.

Traditional cast aluminium is manufactured in the UK and sits at the upper end of the price range for metal guttering - More expensive than our extruded aluminium and galvanised steel ranges and more or less equal, depending on the project, to the cost of pre-painted cast iron - It is strong and long lasting and best suited to quality, traditional style projects.

Read more: Have an extra 5% off all cast aluminium ranges this October

Refurbishment restores Nottingham Castle Rock to its former glory

Nottingham Castle Rock is an ancient monument surrounding several areas of the world-famous Nottingham Castle. Originally constructed in 1068, time has seen the structure and its encompassing roads, caves and tunnels, be subject to ruin and deterioration.

Read more: Refurbishment restores Nottingham Castle Rock to its former glory

All Things are now Bright and Beautiful for church

A North Tyneside church is looking forward to safely welcoming back its parishoners after COVID-19 restrictions meant that all acts of worship had to be done remotely or online.

To facilitate the return, St John's Church in Killingworth Village has undergone a top to bottom deep clean and bizarrely, the business who won the work has a number of connections with the church - not least the fact that their name is incorporated in one of the world's most well known hymns.

Read more: All Things are now Bright and Beautiful for church

Historic Tunstall Town Hall given a new lease of life and set to reopen

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has completed works on the historic, local building Tunstall Town Hall, which was built in 1885.

The city council have been revamping the Town Hall, alongside contractor and developer G F Tomlinson, since April 2020 to uncover, repair and preserve some of the original heritage features. 

Read more: Historic Tunstall Town Hall given a new lease of life and set to reopen

Non-standard products from Hargreaves Foundry and Rainclear

Rainclear Systems, the UK’s leading stockist and online retailer of metal rainwater will work with Hargreaves, a working foundry with its own pattern making shop and dedicated design team, on your behalf to produce non-standard cast iron rainwater components to replicate existing perished components to replace like-for-like but brand new to last another 100 years +.

Heritage properties often contain atypical building shapes and designs. If your building has non-standard specifications, we can help source and supply guttering with non-standard angles or special configurations.

Read more: Non-standard products from Hargreaves Foundry and Rainclear

London calling for award-winning York Handmade Brick

The completion of the prestigious Lancer Square development in the heart of London marks a decade of York Handmade Brick’s involvement in reshaping the look of England’s capital city.

During the past 10 years York Handmade, one of the leading independent brickmakers in the UK, has provided the bricks for some of London’s most stunning new buildings.

Read more: London calling for award-winning York Handmade Brick

Fine craftsmanship lead roofing by Sussex Leadcraft Ltd

Reigate Priory School is set in the beautiful surroundings of Priory Park and is a historic Grade 1 listed building. It dates back to 1235 when William de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, founded Reigate Priory for the Order of St Augustinian whose monks resided there for 300 years before the dissolution of the monasteries during the English Reformation.

The Priory played a further role in history being owned by the Howard family. The daughter, Catherine, became the fifth wife of Henry VIII at 19. She was the last one to be executed two years after the marriage.

Pictured above are details of the fine craftsmanship lead roofing by Sussex Leadcraft Ltd using Code 6,7,8,9, and 10 lead.

Pictured left is the sloping roof at Laughton Manor using Code 6 lead - another example of the craftsmanship of Sussex Leadwork.

The company has the highest achievable grade in the Lead Contractors Association.

For further information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Memorial cleaning reveals need for further work

The work of cleaning and restoring the country’s war memorials has carried on throughout the past year, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. Hertfordshire-based P&S Property Management have carried out a number of cleaning projects, including that of the memorial at Shorne in Kent (pictured right and below), at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the village.

P&S were asked to provide a quotation in early November for a deep clean: the memorial had not been cleaned since 2010. The clean was carried out on 24 March and revealed further work that needs to be carried out.

Director Henry Perales explained: “After a deep clean we usually expose any necessary repairs like re-grouting or repainting the letters. We met with the client and pointed out the exposed problems and will arrange for a quotation so the repairs can be carried out.”

The company also completed the clean back in October of the Croxley Green War Memorial in Hertfordshire (below), in preparation for Remembrance Sunday commemorations. They have subsequently provided a quote for the repainting of the lettering.

Similarly, the cleaning of the memorial at Hockley Heath, Solihull, in early November exposed the need to have the letters repainted.

For further information visit www.pandsproperty.co.uk

Video technology rollout to help risk management surveys

Ecclesiastical Insurance is launching desk based video inspections to customers following investment in new technology.

The video streaming function, developed by long-time collaborators RiskSolved, allows a real-time view of the client’s property, providing a higher quality of desk based surveys.

Read more: Video technology rollout to help risk management surveys

Skilled craftsmen create bespoke tributes for churches around the British Isles

Portsmouth, England 2019

In January 2019 Fullers Finer Furniture received a call from a client in the USA. Her mission was to secure a bespoke lectern for a church in Portsmouth attended by her mother, in memory of her father.

The design brief was for a solid wood, fixed-height lectern bearing a memorial plaque. Working within the proposed budget, a design was drawn up and tweaked to achieve the exact result required.

Fullers always take care to ensure that only the best quality woods are selected for use. Each piece is carefully fashioned in the workshop, maximising skill and experience built up over many years to ensure the finished piece is not just an item of beauty, but is also robust and sturdy, fit to serve with timeless grace for many years to come.

Fullers always welcome feedback and photographs of the furniture in situ. In this case the client wrote: “I am writing to thank you all for the help you gave us in getting the perfect lectern for St. Cuthbert's and to let you know it was very well received by both the members of the congregation and clergy at St. Cuthbert’s.

“The wood is a perfect match to the base of the custom font and the design is just what they wanted, as it is light enough to be moved around depending upon what event is going on in the church at the time…it was dedicated on Remembrance Sunday, which was very fitting.”

Polwarth, Scotland 2020

Polwarth Parish Church lies adjacent to the Union Canal. It is part of an exciting project aimed at running a canal boat from Polwarth Pontoon with a view to benefitting the local community in a variety of ways.

The church received a legacy to be used specifically for the provision of a piece of furniture for the transept area, to display information relating to the canal project. In January 2020 Fullers Finer Furniture were approached in connection with the unique project.

The finished cabinet includes a display area protected behind locking glass sliding doors and a surface area to accommodate the folders and other material relating to the canal project. The multi-function unit also contains two double locking cupboards, a drawer to store wrapping paper and a pull-out desk for use by the floristry team.

Mounted on wheels and finished in natural oak, the cabinet bears arches on the cupboard doors to complement those in the building.

The finishing touch is a brass memorial plaque dedicated to the precious memory of the church member behind the donation.

The client commented: “I am so pleased that I found your advert, it was such a pleasure to work with you.”

Donaghcloney, Northern Ireland 2021

Across the water to Northern Ireland, and this time a request for a baptismal font in memory of a very special infant. The font was made in European oak and supplied with a hand-made glass bowl decorated with a thread pattern to match the church décor. In this case the inscription was carved around the outside of the bowl around the top of the font.

For further information visit www.fullersfinerfurniture.co.uk