Project Description

A significant part of this project involved the design, production and installation of bespoke ‘bamboo design’ cast iron railings to the perimeter of the historic Japanese Gardens within Avenham and Miller Parks in Preston.

In addition to the previously described work on this project, Lost Art Limited also conducted further work including the production and installation of signage, urns, further styles of railing and repairs to a number of gates as well as reproducing 2 cannons dating from the siege of Sebastapol in the Crimean War, designing and installing a replacement for a lost Victorian drinking fountain.

Concurrent to the work within the parks, Lost Art Limited have also worked on Avenham Walk, a residential setting adjacent to Avenham and Miller Parks in Preston. The original Victorian railings that surrounded the area had been removed and replaced with inferior quality metal fencing that was not in keeping with the architecture or period of the surrounding houses and that had deteriorated in condition, which was representative of the general state of decay of the overall landscaping and furnishings of the area. Lost Art Limited were contracted to reproduce the original railings that had been present in the Victorian period and to install the railings.

The first stage of this section the project involved the procurement of historical images of the original installations which, having been obtained provided the basis for the production of patterns for the cast iron components of the railings. Two types of railing were identified, a fencing panel type and a smaller section that was lead set into the stone copings of a wall at the entrance to the area.

The patterns produced were submitted to the client for approval before being transported to the foundry for production of the cast iron components. Following casting of the cast iron railing sections these were then shot-blasted and fettled to ensure that there was high definition to the detail of the castings before being primed and painted at the Lost Art Limited workshop.

Having been fully prepared the components were transported to site and the long-run railings were assembled before being lead set into position. Similarly the coping set smaller railings were lead set into fixing holes which had been core drilled into the stone copings.

As mentioned earlier in the description of this project, the general area of the works had been in a state of decline prior to the restorative work and in addition to the railings work described, Lost Art Limited also restored or replaced with identical reproductions a number of historic design Victorian cast iron benches plus the production and installation of cast iron bollards to match the originally installed pattern.

Project Details