Iconic urn finials to top off Works refurb - The Worcester Observer

Iconic urn finials to top off Works refurb

Worcester Editorial 11th Apr, 2018   0

HISTORIC artefacts which have looked out over the city’s skyline for more than 160 years will be restored and immortalised for future generations as part of the major redevelopment project of the Royal Porcelain Works which will open at the end of June.

Two prominent ornamental stone finials were originally installed at each end of the ornate frontage of the Royal Porcelain Works (RPW) Exhibition Hall, when it opened in 1851.

The old Show Room is being completely restored and redesigned to provide the exciting new Henry Sandon Hall, at the centre of the redevelopment.

Once the urns were carefully removed from the roof they were examined by experts and were found to be irreparably damaged by over a century of British weather.




A team of craftsman from Kent based stone specialists Chilstone, has been working on the urns’ to restore them sufficiently to enable a mould to be made for two stone replicas to be cast. Once complete, the replica urns will then be installed back on to the roof of the Henry Sandon Hall, in time for the RPW opening in June.

The moulds will then be held by Chilstone as part of their historic architectural stonework collection and a series of Royal Porcelain Works Urns will be produced and available for the public to buy for their own homes and gardens.


Royal Porcelain Works Limited chairman Colin Kinnear OBE said: “The urn finials were an iconic feature of the old Royal Porcelain Works. We wanted to ensure their design remained within the redevelopment.

“The Royal Porcelain Works is going to be a lively new cultural space in Worcester, which combines the very best of its Victorian heritage with modern and exciting exhibition spaces, arts and crafts and a fabulous deli/café – ‘The Nest, Worcester’.

“We hope these new urns will provide an ornamental feature on the Henry Sandon Hall, for at least the next 150 years,” he added.

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