Refurbishment of bowling green fencing panels

Galvanized by: Joseph Ash Walsall
End client: Cannock Bowling Club
Finish provided: Shot blasting, hot dip galvanizing and powder coating
Size and amount of steel: 1 tonne

Project goals
Cannock Bowling Green, which dates to 1760 and sits in the centre of Cannock Town Centre in Staffordshire, wanted to refurbish the steel fencing, surrounding its Green. Joseph Ash Walsall was pleased to help with the project.

What happened
Cannock Bowling Green sits in the centre of Cannock Town Centre in Staffordshire and dates to 1760. Its members include people from the local community, some of whom have been enjoying everything the Club offers since the 1970s.

Members take pride in the green and decided it was time to repaint the railings surrounding the Club. The Bowling Club Committee originally obtained quotes to have the railings sanded down and repainted, however the Walsall plant of Joseph Ash Galvanizing suggested an alternative solution involving shot blasting, hot dip galvanizing and powder coating, to protect the steel and avoid further expensive maintenance expenditure for many years.

Stan Williams, a life Honorary Member of the Club, and former MD and Chairman of two galvanizing plants in Walsall and Netherton, was an advocate for a full treatment as he knows the benefits that hot dip galvanizing and powder coating can bring. 

As well as providing shot blasting, hot dip galvanizing and powder coating, Joseph Ash also offered to provide the transportation for the steel – weighing in at about 1 tonne – as part of their competitive quotation.

For Joseph Ash Walsall to treat the steel, the heavy panels had to be cut free from the wall surrounding the Green, taken away for processing, and refitted to the wall.

President of the Bowling Club, Tony Rose, purchased the necessary tools to free the panels and new galvanized bolts to replace the rusty old bolts which snapped because, for decades, they had been painted over several times. 

Permission was also obtained from Staffs County Council for Joseph Ash Walsall to park their lorry alongside the Green in the pedestrianised area to load and unload the material.  

Arrangements were also made for enough strong members of the Club to be available to help the Joseph Ash Walsall driver lift the panels from the Green onto the vehicle for processing at the Joseph Ash Walsall plant.

Outcome
The local Conduit Trust offered a grant of £1,000 towards the overall cost of the project, and with a contribution of expertise from some members, the club funds and the cooperation of the Joseph Ash Walsall, the project was successfully completed.

The tips of the black panels were even been painted gold to match similar fencing around the town which is maintained by Cannock Council.

The green is an attractive area in the town, creating a pleasant ambience where the public can see over the wall or can enjoy a peaceful rest on the ancient snake benches when members are playing bowls.

The team at Joseph Ash Walsall enjoyed working on this project and were delighted to see how stunning the newly refurbished railings look in the centre of Cannock.