News

Despite the credit crunch and overall air of gloom, we’re keeping busy. Our friends in the street furniture trade tell us that trade for them is very patchy with less major projects under way. Our sculptor friends still have lots of work but new public commissions are not plentiful.

Here’s a little summary of our recent news:

For the first time in years, we’ve exhibited at shows - Arts Fairs in Buxton and Sheffield. We do this not with the intention of selling anything but to make contacts with artists in different media so that we can learn from other craftspeople and collaborate on projects in the future. The Sheffield Fair was under canvas during the now-traditional August Monsoon whereas Buxton was held in the magnificent Dome - one of the largest unsupported domes in Europe and the source of some incredible acoustics whereby people talking quietly a hundred feet away could be heard perfectly!

Two large architectural metalwork projects have just started (see separate stories for details). These are the creation of a new and decorative cast aluminium open market in Bedford and the complete refurbishment of the famous Brighton Bandstand, adjacent to the gaunt skeleton of the West Pier.

Our bronze foundry is set for a busy six months with a wide range of work - balustrades and grilles for a large house in Cheshire, an abstract sculpture for Coventry, large history panels for Burntisland in Fife and sculptural work for our friends and neighbours Castle Fine Arts.

Signs and plaques continue to provide our bread-and-butter. Recent projects include Welcome signs for Colne Valley in Lancs, new nameplates for locomotives on the Manx Electric Railway, and an attractive bronze for Marple in Cheshire.

As ever, one-off projects continue to materialise. We’re just finishing some brass church windows for a beautiful little church in Warwickshire ; a very early Baguley petrol locomotive is being stripped down for a rebuild ; and we’ve just completed some large ductile iron floor lettering for Silvertown in the East End.

And finally… we had a memory-jerking steam boat holiday in Scotland with Chris Topp of Chris Topp & Co, masters of real wrought iron and Dave Hodgson of Dorothea Restorations. We’ve been friends (and occasionally competitors) since school days - rather more years than we like to count!

Ted & Sue McAvoy, Leander Architectural

The morning of 23rd June dawned clear and dry, which was just as well for the crowd assembled to launch the bronze map of the Waterloo area of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. Unveiled by Council Leader Roy Oldham, this large bronze is the second in a series of 18 covering all the wards in the borough.

Leander are responsible for design and historical research as well as making the maps and their oak frames, and installing them on site.

On receipt of their 104th blue plaque, the Civic Trust wrote “We are happy to report that the Stocks Hill plaque arrived here safely today as promised by Leander a few weeks ago. Thanks to all for your ever reliable service”  24th June 2008

These two photos show little elements of a large oval bronze plaque for a Stockport MBC lottery-funded park scheme. The pictorial elements were traced meticulously from old faded photo prints and then etched to produce a casting pattern.

Erecting these two storey balconies in West London was complicated by the sunken garden in front and an access gateway too narrow for a crane. The problem was solved with a specialist articulated Hiab vehicle and a lot of hard work! The balconies were designed and made by Leander for the Cast Iron Company, and installed on the 25th June 2008.

“Just for your information, Eastleigh Station Footbridge was successfully handed back (to Network Rail) on Friday 20th January 2012 with both the client and train operating company very pleased with the works carried out. Although this project has been testing in many ways, I would like to thank you for your co-operation, safe working, delivery and quality throughout the works and would be grateful if you would pass my thanks and gratitude onto your supervisors and operatives.”  Alistair Rorie, Osborne Rail (Leander supplied and installed £130,000 worth of new cast aluminium windows matching the profiles of the original timber windows in this listed footbridge)  20th January 2012

“The blue plaque has arrived safely and is generally agreed to be lovely. Could you pass on my thanks to all who were involved.” Alan Freeman  14th January 2012

” I have safely received the plaques and I must say your company has done a fantastic job - extremely pleased. The Bury Society will send you a formal letter of thanks for your records.”  Martin Taylor, The Bury Society  19th January 2012  (series of plaques for Bury St Edmunds)

“We are delighted with the plaque. Please thank all your staff for the excellent service” - Friends of the French Covent, E. Yorks (April 2008)

“The plaques have arrived safely and they are wonderful. Thank you very much” - Southport Civic Society (April 2008)

“The RAF plaque is greatly admired. You did a fantastic job on it. It looks fabulous” - Westminster City Council (April 2008).  [This plaque commemorates the 'birthplace' of the RAF and its unveiling was featured in the press and on TV]

“It has been a pleasure dealing with you and your company. Thank you for all the help you have given us” - Whitley Local History Group, Coventry (April 2008) 

“I am writing to you personally because we wanted to tell you how very pleased we are with the plaque- your firm have produced a beautiful product”  Whitburn Local History Group, Sunderland (August 2008)

“Thanks for the super job on the blue plaque for Canal House - it will look really well”  Inland Waterways Protection Society  (July 2008)

“Many thanks for all your efforts, the result is truly amazing”  Carlton Village Residents Association (Oct 2008)

“Everyone is very pleased with the latest addition to the Bromsgrove street scene (large town sign with full colour pictorial panel). Thanks very much to everyone who has been involved”  The Bromsgrove Society (October 2008)

(Shipyard memorial, Sunderland) “It was a great success with everyone, much admired and given good press coverage. Many thanks again and, if we have an more bright ideas, we’ll be in touch”   Monkwearmouth Local History Group, Sunderland (November 2008)

“The (bronze) plaque is FABULOUS and we’re really pleased with it. Thank you for doing such a cracking job and for being so efficient and nice”  Sharon Harble, The Really Useful Theatre Group, London (January 2010)

“Everything was packed nicely. I unwrapped the fingers and finial and they looked BEAUTIFUL!!! The dedication is set for May 14th. Thanks again.”  Jim McCann, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, commenting on the fingerpost supplied for Cheltenham, PA Twinning Committee. 14th April 2011

“Everyone hailed the memorial as superb, and the bronze plaques as quite outstanding in every way. The ‘Tuna’ (submarine) and the 5 canoes really caught the attention of all by its sheer magnificence……the crafting of bronze relief had spectators in awe. The 1st Sea Lord was very impressed. If you see the whole memorial on the ground one day, you will really appreciate the aptness of the site for the poignancy it stirs in the heart and mind. With our warmest greetings to you all.”    on behalf of the Frankton Memorial Committee for a series of CMA (copper-manganese-aluminium) plaques unveiled at Pointe de Grave, near Bordeaux 31st March 2011. (See April News for more details)

“All I can say is WOW! They are excellent.” (AND) “I can only speak for myself but I think these look wonderful”  Local authority client (North Hertfordshire) and landscape architect commenting on 15 different bronze trail marker plaques for Letchworth, Herts  20th April 2011

What do Mrs Fred Dibnah, Sir Ian McKellen, Jimmy Hill and the Bee Gees have in common? Tricky isn’t it? Well, they’re all due to unveil Leander commemorative plaques over the next three weeks. Four bronze plaques will be fixed to the base of the new Fred Dibnah sculpture in Bolton, Sir Ian is unveiling a plaque at the Garrick Theatre, Stockport and the Bee Gees will arrive in Westminster next week to commemorate the site of their recording studios. Later in May, Jimmy Hill will join David Moorecroft, the Specials and Pete Waterman for the launch of Coventry’s ‘Walk of Fame’ - a set of 11 floor-mounted bronzes. Unfortunately, Lady Godiva is unable to attend!

The Royal Navy training centre, HMS Collingwood at Fareham, has a cast iron barrel-vaulted entrance canopy made by the renowned Walter McFarlane, Saracen Foundry, Glasgow in the 1860s. Although the canopy is a true semi-circular vault, the glazing is made up of hundreds of small pieces of flat glass.

Working for Britannia Ltd, Alton, Hants, Leander have restored the structure at their Buxton works and it was re-erected in April 2008. Photos to follow…

Late last year we sculpted a full Royal Marines insignia, cast it in bronze and delivered it to Port Stanley in the Falklands for a Royal Marines Memorial. Another highly-polished casting has just been completed for a memorial in Crete and a third is under way for the National Arboretum in Lichfield. Other bronze memorials are underway for the Manchester Regt in France and for the Kings Regiment. We take great pride in our military memorial work, so much so that our Steve Hoyle volunteered to drive to France last year to install a memorial for the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion.

Work is just starting on an unusual project with sculptress Denise Dutton. Denise has designed and is creating a range of architectural features - balustrated, gates and grilles - for a major house refurbishment. Denise’s wax originals will be moulded and cast in bronze at our Tanat Foundry in Wales, patinated and installed at the house by our own site team.