We were approached by Litton Cheney Parish council in August regarding the restoration of a weathervane of a cockerel for the tower of St Mary’s Church. The church dates from the 14th century and the original weathervane was installed in the early 20th century. The original weathervane was made of gilded oak and installed between the first and second World Wars. A replica wooden weathervane was then commissioned around 15 years ago to replace the original. The current cockerel has weathered significantly and so the parish have decided to replace it with a gilded cast aluminium cockerel to restore the weathervane to its former glory.
This has been a fascinating heritage project to work on. We used the most recent cockerel as a pattern to create a sand mould weighing in at a quarter of a tonne. This was then cast in aluminium and sent to be gilded. We then worked with local blacksmith, Ian Thackery of Village Blacksmith in Chettle, Dorset to forge the cockerel’s spurs and legs out of stainless steel. We are very pleased that the wood grain and detail of the oak carving came through beautifully on the casting and will be preserved for years to come on top of this scenic historical church.
