Majestic steel sculpture unveiled
Majestic steel sculpture unveiled in Essex: New artwork by Matthew Lane Sanderson, hot dip galvanized by Joseph Ash Telford.
A stunning new piece of artwork has recently been unveiled in Chelmsford, Essex. Matthew Lane Sanderson is the artist, and he invited Joseph Ash Galvanizing along to the launch party.
A new housing development has been built in Essex, in an area just north of Chelmsford. The development is called ‘Beaulieu’ and it will eventually include over 3600 new homes, playgrounds, a railway station, commercial areas, and parkland.
The development has been built by Countryside and L&Q, who also wanted to include sculptural and functional works of art in the landscape to tell the story of the land’s previous Tudor owner, King Henry VIII, who had a palace and a deer park there.
The development partners chose a series of talented artists, and Matthew Lane Sanderson – a ‘Big-Art’ sculptor from Herefordshire – was commissioned to create one of the pieces of art.
The launch party for the sculpture – called ‘The Crowned Stag’ – took place on Thursday 7 September 2017.
Sanderson’s sculpture at Beaulieu
For the commission at Beaulieu, Sanderson created a spherical sculpture, with an intricate design, that depicts a regal reflection of a stag under a tree, set on a reflected crown base. The statue is made from six tonnes of steel and zinc and is ten metres high. The artist has also inscribed a poem into the base which reads as follows:
“All things held in one small globe,
Spinning eternal in endless strobe.
Plants, water, animals, light.
Future, past, day, night.
All is balanced on everyone’s crown,
In every country, in every town.”
The sculpture has a special place in the Beaulieu development as it stands proud at the entrance to the new housing estate/town.
Sanderson said of the sculpture: “This work of art shall forever mark the status of this place both past, present and future. It is a symbol that not only conveys the beauty of natural form, but the hope we all share for balance in all things.”
Joseph Ash Galvanizing and Matthew Lane Sanderson
Sanderson is well-known to Joseph Ash Galvanizing, as he works in steel and regularly asks us to protect the finished sculptures with a galvanized finish.
A galvanized coating on steel protects the metal from rust and enables it to be protected from the elements for many years to come.
Sanderson has previously asked Joseph Ash Galvanizing to hot dip galvanize works of art including ‘Conduct’ at Solihull School.
He has been pleased with the professional service and level of quality that Joseph Ash provides, and therefore asked one of our plants to galvanize the sculpture for Beaulieu.
As galvanizers for the project, Mick Jackson and Ewelina Bharj from Joseph Ash Galvanizing were invited to the launch party in Chelmsford.
Mick Jackson said: “It is always an honour for Joseph Ash Galvanizing to be asked to treat huge works of steel art, by amazing artists such as Matthew Lane Sanderson. Hours and hours of work go into the design and creation of these sculptures and it is imperative that our galvanizing plants do justice for the artists, by providing the best quality galvanized finish that we can.”
Ewelina Bharj said: “The launch party for Matthew’s new sculpture was amazing and awe-inspiring. After seeing the sculpture being galvanized at our Telford plant, it was great to see the finished project standing tall and proud in its final location in Chelmsford. It is a beautiful piece of art, and Matthew looked just as proud as the statue at the party. I hope the residents of Beaulieu will love the sculpture over the coming years as much as I do.”
You can read more about Matthew Lane Sanderson here.
You can read more about Beaulieu here.
See more photos of ‘The Crowned Stag’ sculpture here.
Joseph Ash Galvanizing is a now a certified member of RISQS.
RISQS (the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme) is a supplier qualification scheme which audits and assesses suppliers to pre-qualify to work with over 110 buying organisations. It is a prestigious supplier organisation and acts a single point of entry for buyers looking to procure items and services for the railway industry. It also helps suppliers to sell within the railway industry by providing an open, fair and transparent way for them to be formally recognised as capable providers of products and services.
We are proud to say that Joseph Ash Galvanizing has recently been certified as a member of the scheme, as we regularly galvanize steel for the railway industry.
Steel fabrications can include anything from station canopies to platforms, gantries to staircases, lineside cabinets to cantilevers, and lighting columns to bridges.
We have also worked on railway projects ranging from Birmingham New Street Station, Bristol Parkway Station, Stoke Gifford Depot, Hazel Grove Station, and the East and West Coast Main Lines electrification projects, amongst others.
Certification to RISQS involves a rigorous process including documentary evidence that there has been a successful assessment, a process which requires differing degrees of intervention at the supplier’s premises, dependent on the risk that the product or service represents.
As a newly certified supplier, Joseph Ash Galvanizing will be using RISQS to officially register and qualify ourselves as a potential supplier to the rail sector.
Well done to all the team at Joseph Ash Galvanizing who were involved in the certification process!
The August edition of the Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter is here. Hot off the press!
To read a copy click here.
Read about a spitfire we galvanized for Lutman Aero Works; industrial relations at our sister plants in the US; our upcoming industry open days; and our participation at UK Construction Week in October.
If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe by scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking for the ‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too, so feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
Model Spitfires fabricated from steel to celebrate an icon of the skies during WW2, and a grandfather’s legacy.
In just a few weeks’ time, on 3 September, Great Britain will be remembering the day 78 years ago when Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany and the start of WW2. It was a sad day for the nation, but especially for those who had already lived through the horrors of WW1, which had finished only two decades earlier. Much had changed in terms of military might in 21 years however, including the development of the Spitfire, a “masterpiece of aerodynamic engineering”* and an icon of the skies, especially during the Battle of Britain (July – October 1940).
To celebrate the hard work and success of the Spitfire, and to commemorate RAF airmen and a grandfather’s legacy, an engineering company in Northumberland – Lutman Aero Works – began to fabricate custom built Lutman Spitfire MK XII’s in 2016 as sculptural steel commissions.
Joseph Ash Galvanizing has been proud to provide the galvanized finish for one of these commissions.
Lutman Aero Works – a history
In 1924, the first model shop in the world was opened by Charles W. Lutman in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. At that time, the North East of England was a hot bed of inventive engineers, and there are even rumours that the Lutman family had attempted flight on Newcastle Town Moor before the Wright Brothers.
In the 1920s, designs for aeroplanes were drawn, and scale models made from balsa wood, which were then tested in wind tunnels, before the full-size aircraft were manufactured and tested. The staff at The Model Shop not only supplied the balsa wood to the Air Ministry for aeroplane models, but they also assisted with the wind tunnel models for the Supermarine Spitfire.
Spitfire commissions
The Lutman family today are proud of their family’s heritage with regards to the Spitfire. Consequently, Lutman Aero Works was born, which today fabricates half-size pole mounted and ground mounted model Lutman Spitfire MK XII’s as memorials, garden sculptures, office features or gate guardians.
The wing ribs and fuselage formers of the models are plasma cut from steel sheet, and the stringers are made using a thick wall steel tube. After fabrication, the front of each airframe is galvanized by Joseph Ash Galvanizing and then powder coated (by another supplier) to marine offshore standards, to prolong the life of the steel and protect it from the elements.
The wings are then attached to the fuselage wing box with marine grade stainless steel fastenings, which helps with transportation and installation.
Andrew Booton from Joseph Ash Galvanizing Telford said: “It is important to commemorate the hard work and sacrifices of people during the World Wars, and to also remember the engineers and the machines that helped to turn the tide of the Wars in Britain’s favour. This is especially the case of the Spitfires which battled against the Luftwaffe over our skies during WW2. The work of Lutman Aero Works and their artistic commissions helps us to remember and preserve our history. It is an honour to treat their steel with metal finishing coatings, in order to preserve their works.”
(* https://www.military-history.org/articles/world-war-2/history-of-the-spitfire.htm)
Bowled over with new steel railings at bowling green: refurbishment of fencing panels around 18th century bowling green in Cannock.
Cannock Bowling Green, which dates to 1760 and sits in the centre of Cannock Town Centre in Staffordshire, has recently undergone a project to refurbish its steel fencing, surrounding the Green. Joseph Ash Walsall was pleased to play a part in the project.
About Cannock Bowling Green
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, 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 galvanizing and powder coating can bring.
- Shot blasting: Before metal is galvanized it needs to be cleaned to give it a smooth surface. One of the most effective ways to create this surface is to shot blast it. Shot blasting fires a high-pressure spray of abrasive steel materials onto a rough surface to create a smooth surface.
- Hot dip galvanizing: Hot dip galvanizing has been used worldwide for well over a century because it provides a long-life, low-maintenance corrosion protection which safeguards steel from atmospheric attack. Applying a hot dip galvanizing process to steelwork provides fabrications with a robust, durable and corrosion protective finish that under normal conditions will last for many years without maintenance of any sort.
- Powder coating: Powder coating is a type of paint that is mainly applied to metals to provide a harder finish than a normal paint. The paint is applied as a powder electrostatically from a spray gun and is cured in an oven under a high heat to form a tough, durable skin. Powder coating paints come in many colours and can be used to create different finishes such as textured or metallic.
Going the extra mile
As well as providing shot blasting, 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.
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 has now been successfully completed.
The tips of the black panels have even been painted gold to match similar fencing around the town which is maintained by Cannock Council.
The cost of running and maintaining the Bowling Green Club is covered by an annual subscription from members and contributions from events, but most of the work, cutting and fertilising the grass, and tending to the flowers and surrounding area is done by a few dedicated members. A trust deed dated 1896 establishes that the land is to be retained as a bowling green, in perpetuity, providing there are at least 15 members available to maintain the green in an attractive and practical condition. 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 are delighted to see how stunning the newly refurbished railings look in the centre of Cannock.
The July edition of the Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter is here. Hot off the press!
To read a copy click here.
Read about a sculpture we galvanized for Oakley Vale in Corby as part of the ‘Made in Corby’ scheme; 40 years long-time service achievement for John Thurpp at Joseph Ash Walsall; the winners of the 2017 GAGA awards; Premier Galvanizing Corby’s 15th birthday; our 2017 industry open days; and our upcoming attendance at London Build 2017.
If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe by scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking for the ‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too, so feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
40 years service for John Thrupp, as well as long-time service achievements for many other members of staff.
In 1977 when Indira Gandhi resigned from office, Concord took its first flight to New York from London, and the Queen celebrated 25 years of reign at her Jubilee Celebrations, John Thrupp joined Joseph Ash Galvanizing. 40 years have passed and we’re pleased to say that John is still with us and probably deserves his own Jubilee type celebration! What an achievement John!
John initially started work at our Birmingham plant as a works office clerk, he then moved into a role as Works Progress Clerk, before being promoted to Shift Supervisor. He then became Materials Controller and when the Birmingham plant closed he transferred to Joseph Ash Walsall to carry out the same role.
Steven Hopkins, Managing Director, and other members of Joseph Ash recently celebrated with John, and said thank you for being a great member of the team.
John is not the only team member from Joseph Ash Galvanizing to have reached a significant milestones at the Company though. In recent months we have also celebrated with:
- Phil Filkins, Joseph Ash Medway, who reached 20 year’s service at the plant in June
- Dean Winfield, Joseph Ash Chesterfield, who reached 30 year’s service in June
- Neil Horton, Joseph Ash Walsall, who reached 25 year’s service in June
- Kevin Hilden, Joseph Ash Medway, who reached 20 year’s service in July
- Sidney Holland, from Joseph Ash Telford who will reach 30 year’s service in August.
Congratulations everyone!
Happy Birthday to Premier Galvanizing Corby – celebrating their 15th year!
The end of July marks the 15th anniversary of Premier Galvanizing Corby – a division of Joseph Ash Galvanizing. The plant opened its doors in 2002 to become the second plant for Premier Galvanizing, which already had a plant in Hull.
When the business opened its doors, it had 13 staff. It now has 33, with the majority living in the local community. The original management team members are still working there as well as two of the initial workforce; Daren Stevens and Stuart Tailby. Daren is the Galvanizing Manager and Stuart is the Yard Supervisor which goes to show that a career in galvanizing is a real prospect at Premier Galvanizing.
The plant is managed by Robert Mohan, the Technical and Development Director who says: “Our Corby plant is a great place to work, full of hard-working, team-spirited colleagues who strive for the best, constantly meeting the exacting demands of our loyal customer base.”
Premier Galvanizing Corby and its extensive fleet of vehicles cover customers’ galvanizing needs from London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, as well as the Midlands.
Whether a fabricator needs a small amount of steel galvanized for a gate or railings, or 100 tonnes of steel for a new building development, Premier Galvanizing Corby can help. We pride ourselves on getting it right first time, on time, every time to meet the varied needs of our customers.
Premier Galvanizing Corby has a bath size of 7.6m x 1.4m x 3.2m, with a lifting capability of 6.0 tonnes. It provides a comprehensive galvanizing service and can also arrange shot-blasting, powder coating, as well as storage, bundling and packing. With a fleet of Lorries to suit the customer needs, delivery to UK sites can be easily arranged.
Corby, in Northamptonshire is an apt place for a Galvanizing plant processing steel because of the town’s heritage. Corby was once best known for its iron and steel industry, which shaped the growth of the town and influenced all aspects of life from the turn of the 20th century until the closure of the steelworks in the 1980s.
Happy 15th birthday to the team at Corby! Here’s to the next 15!
The residents of Oakley Vale, in Corby have just unveiled new works of art by sculptor Richard Janes, as part of a ‘Made in Corby’ scheme to bring art to the masses. Premier Galvanizing Corby was proud to play a part by galvanizing the steel.
‘Made in Corby’ is an exciting organisation that recognises and draws inspiration from the identity and reputation of Corby. As part of a national Creative People and Places network, funded by the Arts Council of England, its aim is to inspire local people from Corby to take the lead in experiencing, creating and taking part in high quality arts and cultural activities. With this in mind, ‘Made in Corby’ created an ambitious and exciting three-year programme, involving local residents, to install sculptural works of art at Oakley Vale, a 436-acre housing development situated in the South West of Corby.
‘Made in Corby’ encouraged local people from Oakley Vale to get involved, right from the start, in commissioning the works of art. An enthusiastic panel of residents from Oakley Vale Community Association volunteered and went through a process of deciding what would be right for the community. They took part in workshops, they ran design workshops for local children to take part in the process, and they even went on a road trip to London to see various pieces of sculptural art as part of an inspirational exercise.
The next step was to choose the artist. Under the ‘Made in Corby’ banner, it had to be someone local and gifted, and sculptor Richard Janes, was chosen.
Richard’s work includes commissions from public, corporate and private clients. He was happy to take part in the ‘Made in Corby’ project and he set to work designing three pieces of sculpture, taking inspiration from the local surroundings, the oak forest that was originally on the site of the new housing development, as well as the existing wildlife and the industry that is still alive in the town:
Richard Janes explains his rationale for the designs in this video produced by ‘Made in Corby’ and HD Media CIC.
The children at the local community centre also had a hand in the design which reflects the local wildlife of the area.
Richard Janes and Premier Galvanizing Corby
The sculptures designed and fabricated by Richard Janes are primarily made from steel. As steel corrodes and rusts over time, it needs to be protected with a galvanized coating. Premier Galvanizing Corby – a division of Joseph Ash Galvanizing – was chosen to provide this service.
The steel was delivered to the Corby plant and representatives from ‘Made in Corby’, alongside Richard Janes, were invited to the galvanizing plant to see the metal treatment in action, and so that they could film the processes as part of their video diaries.
Richard Janes describes the hot dip galvanizing process in the video:
“The galvanising is [necessary] to make the sculpture last much longer. The galvanising is 130 microns thick, which will provide more than 60-70 years before the sculptures need treating again. The galvanizing is also important as it reflects Corby’s industry, an industry that is still alive in the town.
Step one is the pickling process which removes the mill scale and any deposits that are on the steel, so that the zinc can adhere to the sculpture. After pickling, step two happens, where the steel is put into a flux bath which allows the zinc to run all over the steel very quickly, creating an even coating. Then – step three – the steel is dipped into the zinc bath at 450 degrees, and it emerges looking all silver and magical. Finally, it is dipped into a cleaning bath which puts a film on the surface which gives the surface greater longevity.
Seeing it rise out of the zinc tank is magical. It brings the creative idea into a reality.”
You can watch the full video here.
The culmination of the project
The ‘Made in Corby’ project was a great success and everyone was happy to play their part, from the local community, to the sculptor, to Premier Galvanizing, the Arts Council of England, and of course the people behind ‘Made in Corby’.
The three sculptures have been erected at Oakley Vale and the grand unveiling took place on Saturday 15 July.
Helen Wilmott from ‘Made in Corby’ said it is a great way to give “local people a say about how public money is spent on art”.
Justin Deegan from Premier Galvanizing Corby said: “We were honoured to be chosen as the hot dip galvanizers for this wonderful project. We attended the unveiling on Saturday and the finished products look beautiful and amazing against the backdrop of Oakley Vale. Well done to everyone involved!”
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(The photos to the right show elements of the sculptures being galvanized at Premier Galvanizing. Richard Janes appears in the photos in the blue shirt. Justin Deegan from Premier Galvanizing is in the brown jumper.)
2017 Galvanizers Association Galvanizing Awards – who won the coveted galvanizing cans?
The Galvanizers Association Galvanizing Awards (more affectionately known as the GAGAs) took place yesterday in London at the Royal Aeronautical Society. Members of the Joseph Ash Galvanizing team were there to celebrate with the shortlisted entrants and the winners. It was a great day and lots of amazing galvanizing and architectural projects were celebrated.
Here is the list of the final winners:
- The Detail Award went to Snug Architects for the Milford-on-Sea Beach Huts
- The Sustainability Award went to Global Rail Construction for Crossrail West Gantries, London Global Rail
- The Duplex Award went to Ian Ritchie Architects, for the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
- The Galvanizing in Engineering Award went to Hastings Pier Charity for Hastings Pier
- The Galvanizing in Architecture Award went to C.F. Møller Architects for the Greenwich Low Carbon Energy Centre
Congratulations to everyone who took part!