The Horwich Plaque

The heraldic design features a deer and huntsman – these being reminders of Horwich as a Royal hunting forest in the Middle Ages, along with two red Lancashire roses which are separated by a pair of black railway lines which are a reference to the town’s significant historic links to the railway industry. Also featured is the Cross of the Pilkington family who have strong links with education in the area.
The Latin motto "Copia est Labor" can be translated as "Industry brings Prosperity".
Having received a copy image of the coat of arms from the client, the first stage was to create a full size wooden carving of the crest which would act as a model for the casting pattern.

The carving was then used by the pattern maker to produce a timber and resin pattern which the foundry would use to make the mould for the casting of the plaque.

The pattern was transported to our partner foundry where a mould was produced in sand into which the molten iron was poured and then allowed to set.

Thanks to the quality of the pattern and the skill of the foundry workers, the casting of the plaque is of extremely high quality and shows all the required detail. A quick glance at the well defined edges of the detail on the plaque will show how crisp the casting is. The raw casting was then treated with layers of corrosion inhibiting primer before being given to our decorative artist for the final stages of painting.

Following detailed painting by our decorative artist, the final version of the plaque has been installed behind a protective screen in the centre of Horwich.