The Society's new year was launched on Tuesday 22nd March with an illustrated talk by Mr Norman Marsh, Director and General Manager of Lindford Bridgeman Limited. Programmed as "An overview of the company and their specialised works" this evening was described by our Vice-Chairman, Mike Tole, as a kaleidoscope of colour and form. On display there was a collection of photographs and examples of the finest wood carvings; but it was Mr Marsh's talk and the wealth of high quality slides which made this evening most memorable.

It is always pleasurable to be reminded of the quality of some of Lichfield's most familiar buildings; Johnson's birthplace, the Tudor Cafe, the Cruck House and of course the Cathedral - all of which bear testimony to the skill of Lindford Bridgeman's craftsmen. Slides of work carried out further afield showed the great diversity of craft techniques employed by the company - timber structures in a church spire at Chester using massive timbers and highly complex assemblies, lead roofing repairs and replacement at Caulke Abbey and Sudbury Hall, wood carving for the restoration of Little Moreton Hall - "We've been working there for 22 years, on and off", gold leaf application to the organ pipes in St Phillip's Cathedral in Birmingham - where 400 books of gold leaf were used, and the most impressive skills of the stone sculptors converting huge blocks of York Stone into beautiful representations of the human form.

We were not surprised to learn that Lindford Bridgeman are regarded as the only company in the UK who are able to provide such a comprehensive range of skills.

Ivor Mitchell
March 1993