AN ULVERSTON blacksmith’s work has taken pride of place in one of London’s most prestigious museums.

Chris Brammall worked with fine jewellery designer Shaun Leane to create ‘Arbour’, a major bronze artwork situated across a 40m building façade in upmarket Kensington.

A piece of the metalwork has now gone on permanent display at the London Victoria and Albert Museum.

This was Shaun’s first foray in to the architecture and public arts realm and in recognition of this, a panel is now on display at the eastern end of the Ironwork Gallery of the London museum.

It is in good company, near work by the American blacksmith, Albert Paley, a double screen designed by the jeweller, Wendy Ramshaw and next to lift grilles designed by Louis Sullivan for the Chicago Stock Exchange.

Shaun was commissioned to design the building’s exterior metalwork by FutureCity and Grainger plc.

It has become the largest scale commission in the UK to be undertaken by a jewellery designer.

He chose to work with the award-winning architectural and sculptural metalworkers, Chris Brammall Ltd for the fabrication and installation stage of the project - creating the 58 balcony railings and two gates to be situated across the façade of the residential development, designed by Assael Architecture.

Each balcony, railing and gate has been handmade and the leaves finished by the hands of artisans in Chris’ workshop.

Almost 3,000 linear metres of bronze sections are used to form the handrails.

The artwork is cast in Phosphor Bronze and each of the balcony railings is unique.

The leaves were cast at Brass Founders in Sheffield and all hand-finished at Chris’ workshop in Ulverston with the project taking more than twelve months to complete.

For Chris and his team, who are based at Low Mill Business Park, this final stage of the project signifies a proud moment.

“It’s not every day you get to say something you have worked on is actually sitting in the V&A,” he said. “Shaun’s design was superb and we are thankful that he chose to work with us - it is testament to his vision that the panel is now on display.”