Wellcome Trust Handrail

West Country Blacksmiths have just completed a project to develop, make and install a polished brass guard railing for a seven-story staircase in the central lobby of The Wellcome Collection in London.

The project which took two years to complete from conception to completion was designed and engineered in partnership with Bristol based Architects 310 Studio.

The team were challenged to design metalwork to connect to the original brass and wrought iron railing ensuring that the historic staircase is compliant with modern safety regulations without compromising its character and beauty. This had to be achieved without any mechanical fixings being used on the sensitive existing stonework.

 

After many months of design, sampling and testing, the team produced a design based on a bespoke clamping mechanisms and produced samples which were approved aesthetically and passed structural load testing.

In total, the blacksmiths produced over 75 meters of bespoke polished extruded solid brass which had to be specially made and imported from Europe.

The project required a wide range of skills from the high tech and ultra-modern Cloud surveying, CAD design and CNC machining through to the traditional forge work of the blacksmiths.

A team of five metalworkers from Somerset travelled to London and installed the metalwork over five consecutive nights, working over 12 hours plus shifts while the building was closed, allowing the building to be open to the public during the day.

Kieren Roberts from West Country Blacksmiths said ‘It a real privilege to have been given the opportunity to work with such an amazing organisation. As a team of craftsmen, it is an honoured to put our small mark on landmarks such as this. This was the most complex project we have every undertaken and it was a exceedingly difficult challenge, but one we really embraced. Our team did a brilliant job and we thank them for their hardwork and dedication.’