The BathIRON Project

BathIRON was a project supported by the NHIG and took 3 and a half years to come to completion. The aim of the project was to create a new balustrade for the Parade Gardens bandstand in Bath. The main event was a 4 day festival of ironwork called BathIRON situated around the bandstand that the balustrade was being created for. Hundreds of blacksmiths joined the effort, from the British Artist Blacksmith Association, Hereford College of Arts, The Wessex Guild of Master blacksmiths and further afield. Jake Garrett a student at Bath Spa University composed the winning score, as part of a competition to create a piece of music that would form the basis of the balustrade and be hand forged in iron. 8 Master blacksmiths from around the UK submitted music themed designs for 8 panels. Once all the designs were completed work began all over the UK forging the individual notes and treble clefs for the score. Then at the BathIRON festival of ironwork, 8 teams joined in the forging and created their 8 master panels over the 4 days. In the following year thousands of hours have been spent finalising all the panels, creating hand rails, gate hinges, galvanising, painting, gilding and assembling. In April 2019 the balustrade was finally installed in its final resting place in Parade Gardens Bath. There was a final installation party where the balustrade was accepted on behalf of the city of Bath by the Mayor. Five folk bands christened the new bandstand balustrade with Nathaniel Mann performing a rousing invoking of the iron ceremony accompanied by blacksmiths hammering on their anvils. Come to Bath and have a look at this beautiful example of hand forged ironwork. There was a crowd funding campaign to raise funds to enable this project to happen, many people sponsored notes and treble clefs if you would like to see all the dedications to family, friends and loved ones by those who sponsored parts of the balustrade please visit nhig.org.uk/bathiron/sponsor-...