Heritage

Regent Lions Roar NDM to 3rd Murdoch Award Success

Described by Managing Director Nigel Miles as a “once in a lifetime” project, the spectacular leadwork involved in the refurbishment of the Regent Palace Hotel in London under main contractors Sir Robert McAlpine has won the Murdoch Award for NDM (Metal Roofing & Cladding) Ltd for a record third time.

Sponsored by Associated Lead Mills as part of their commitment to quality in metal roofing, the Murdoch Award is an annual competition organised for its members by the Lead Contractors Association, the Murdoch Award winning project is effectively the very best of the best.

Any refurbishment project requires careful attention to the existing detail, but this was taken to the extreme atRegentsPalacewith the demands of restoring eight lion cartouches which decorated the corner of each mansard.

Each single cartouche was 1.160m high by 1.250m wide and three dimensional in section, with the timber and lead generally weighing a combined 300kg per cartouche.

A total of 5m² in Code 7 lead sheet (178kgs) was used for each cartouche and whilst from a distance they appear to be identical, from close up it can clearly be seen that each lion’s face is slightly different around the mouth and jaw.

“These beasts are quite magnificent and it has been a privilege to work on them,” said NDM Operations Director Chris Deady.

“I think they have been beautifully restored and it is a tribute to the skills we have on or staff that I believe we have exceeded the very high standards demanded by the architect Donald Insall.”

There were congratulations also for Geoff Neal (Roofing) Ltd of York and John  Fulton (Plumbers) of Glasgow who were named by the judges as finalists for the 2011 Murdoch Award by the judging panel for their work at St Nicholas Church (Wetwang) and the Pearce Institute, Glasgow, however both agreed that NDM were worthy winners of the 2011 competition.

Graham Hudson, MD of sponsors Associated Lead Mills was delighted with the decision of the judges, particularly as it was his own company that was involved in supplying the lead sheet from Jamestown Metals for the project.

“I think this is the first time since we have been sponsoring the Murdoch Award that ALM have actually been involved in supplying material for the winning project, so I am doubly pleased that such a very special job has been acknowledged with the ultimate accolade for leadwork,” he said.

More photographs of all the entrants to the 2011 Murdoch Award and Murdoch Sponsors Award competitions can be found on the LCA web site www.leadcontractorsassociation.com

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