projects
Hesketh Park, Southport
This project involved the full design, production and installation of a replacement for a missing Victorian design cast iron fountain, plus the production and installation of park perimeter railings and repair to gates.
The components of both the fountain and the railings were test assembled and painted at the Lost Art Limited workshop before being transported to site for full assembly and installation. Where appropriate the component parts were electroplated prior to painting for a reduced maintenance legacy and some decorative features were gilded with 24 carat gold leaf.
In addition to the work on the fountain and surround railings, Lost Art Limited were also commissioned to restore the perimeter fencing based on the historic photograph supplied by the client.
In contrast to the surround fencing for the fountain which was produced in wrought or worked iron, the perimeter fencing required cast iron components which were produced from a pattern produced by Lost Art Limited and then submitted to the client for approval.
As part of a Heritage Lottery funded project, Lost Art Limited were commissioned to design, produce and install a number of elements for the restoration of Victorian cast iron landscape features within and surrounding the park. Within the park, Lost Art Limited were asked to design, produce and install a cast iron fountain feature based on the original 19th century installation that had previously been removed. The project required that Lost Art Limited also design, produce and install railings/fencing that was sympathetic to the period of the original fountain but also suited to the present day usage of the park and the demands of the context in which it was to be installed. Lost Art Limited conducted background historic research into the original fountain installation, identifying the origins and appearance of the original fountain components and produced a design for the fountain and the railings which was approved by the client.
Following this, Lost Art Limited sourced original components from similar fountain constructions which could be used as a basis for production of patterns for the casting of the components of the fountain. Where original components could not be sourced. Lost Art Limited used the historical documentation as the basis for wood carving of replica components that could also then be used as the basis for the production of foundry patterns.