Galvanized Gateway To A Brighter Future

The entrance to Huntington Riverside has recently been transformed with the erection of two magnificent pictorial metalwork screens,galvanized by East Galvanizing Ltd, part of the Wedge Group.

Local student, Josie Audigier, came up with the initial designs for the screens, which were then adapted into a three-dimensional form and fabricated by Northamptonshire-based George James Blacksmiths.

The sheer size of the screens made every stage of production a challenging task and although George James Blacksmiths regularly takes work to East Anglian Galvanizing, and is very satisfied with the service there, on this occasion the Witham-based plant's larger capacity bath was the only option.

Six metres long and 1.8 metres tall, the curved gates were not only difficult to transport, but they were hard to manoeuvre into the dipping bath, and this was only achieved with the aid of a constructed frame.

"The people at South East Galvanizing went to a lot of trouble on this job," said Tim James, a business partner in the family run, Northamptonshire blacksmiths.

"The last thing we wanted was to have to cut the gates into sections and re-joint them on site.

The design incorporated strong horizontal lines and you would have certainly noticed the joins had we taken it apart and had to reassemble it," he added.

Parks Manager for Huntingdonshire District Council, Steve Moller comments: "The new entrance to Riverside Park depicts the features, activities and wildlife found within it, such as the medieval river bridge and the willow trees along the banks of the river.

The park is a lovely facility for the people of Huntingdonshire and this new entrance will encourage them to appreciate and use the area," "This project was all about putting Huntingdon on the map, improving the area and making something unique," said Tim James.

"I think we've all achieved that.".

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