Village Signs
Wooden restorations
I was asked to paint the middle panel of Gimingham village sign in 2010. This sparked my interest in village signs, I'd never really paid them much attention. Having worked with wood and metal in my sculptures and having a keen interest in local heritage, it seemed so natural to work with them and restore them. Saving these naive sculptures, some that have been around for decades.
Every wooden sign presents me with different challenges. From rotten wood to eroded bolts and replacing missing elements.
Ingham
Old Hunstanton
Martham
Hopton on Sea
East Runton
East Runton
Attleborough
Trimingham
Carbrooke
Metal refurbishment
Metal signs are a different process. They are sand blasted, rust treated and powder -coated. This protects the metal a lot longer than just painting it. I then paint on top of that and seal the paint with lacquer.
Whatfield
Mixed material restoration
Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis
Barton Bendish
West Runton
Caister on Sea
Fibreglass copies
If I'm not able to restore a wooden sign then i can offer a fibreglass copy service. sometimes having to rebuilld part of the signs before I make a mould. Fibreglass copies made, painted with acrylic paint and laquered.
Fritton
This is a rather large double sided sign. The wood was splitting apart, I could have restored it but because the nature of the split it wouldn't have lasted long.
Fritton
The other side.
Griston
Griston the village of the babes in the wood story as depicted on the sign. I made this one with Polyurethane.
Langham
One of my 1st copies and made with solid resin.
Marham
Fibreglass copy with solid resin shoulders and crest.
West Lexham
This sign is a copy of a Harry Carters original village sign. Harry Carter is the most well known village sign maker, he often only charged for materials. The sign had been stored in the church for years, a another more crude sign in its place. So this sign had been lost for years. A lot of it had rotted away and something fell off everytime i touched it. Most of the picture was there but I had to rebuild some of it and secure what was left. Rebuilding to an old image I found online.