York Minster 'Upcycles'

The new stands, are each over two metres high, were designed by Chris Topp & Co Architectural Metalworks at Tholthorpe near York, they were made to replace old wooden stands which had been used to hold candles for night-time services. They used metal from the Skidmore altar railing, which had sat in storage at York Minster for many years after being removed from use.

Made by Francis Skidmore and installed at some point in the second half of the 19th century, the railing featured many attractive elements which Chris Topp & Co was able to incorporate into the designs.

“Different parts of York Minster have been used for myriad purposes over its long history, and although the workmanship in the altar railing was quite beautiful, it had been removed several decades ago and sat out of view in storage,” comments Rebecca Thompson, Superintendent of Works at York Minster. “Rather than leave it too slowly decay, this project has brought much of it back into prominent use in the cathedral, employing as much as possible of the original metalwork to create 12 stunning new candle holders, each holding 24 candles.”

Jerome Peycher, one of Chris Topp & Co directors commented on the opportunity to be involved with this project saying “it was a great privilege to be given the chance to work with the Skidmore railings, Skidmore was a great master of our craft and to see them being given a new lease of life was fabulous. Where possible, we used the original Skidmore pattern and incorporated it into the stands, and we duplicated it on sections where new metalwork was required”.

The candle stands enjoyed their first outing during the York Minster Nights event last month, with several more as the festive season approaches.

For more from this company visit their website at www.christopp.co.uk