A community project to install a new bespoke village sign
Irnham Parish Council had been considering different designs and materials for a new bespoke village sign. Having marked the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a new flag pole in the centre of the village it was agreed a new village sign should be commissioned to mark the Coronation. The race was on to agree a final design and the materials to be used as well as to secure the necessary funding.
Residents of the Parish donated a total of £596 and the Parish Council committed £1500 to the project. Without the support of the SK Shared Prosperity Fund Grant of £3000 it would not have been possible for us to develop the project at this time. The community are extremely grateful for the generous support from the fund.
Development of the project:
It was appropriate that the sign would be unique to the Parish of Irnham and the historic links with the Luttrell family were an obvious avenue to explore. We focussed on either Sir Geoffrey Luttrell or his son, Sir Andrew Luttrell, for whom there is a brass in the floor of the Church. Consideration was given to value for money as well as durability and the requirement for minimal maintenance. In this conservation village the sign had to be in keeping with the surroundings and as such we were commissioning a work of art. Ultimately two designs were presented to the community and the final design was decided by secret ballot. The successful design was a reproduction of the brass of Sir Andrew Luttrell which would be a vertical sign approximately 2m high. We considered different materials, stainless steel, corton steel and slate. Although these materials would have been cheaper the slate was regarded, by many residents, as resembling a gravestone and the corton steel appeared shabby and out of keeping in this conservation area. The proposed stainless steel option was too thin. It was agreed that the work of Black Forge Art was appropriate for the project and the sign would be manufactured in galvanised powder coated steel with an offset backing of brushed stainless steel giving a 3D effect, a combination of traditional and modern. Our thanks go to Rod of Black Forge Art for his enthusiasm for the project and his patience in working up the final design.
As with so much of the work in our Parish the actual erection of the sign was done by volunteers saving a considerable amount of money.
The sign was unveiled at a gathering of residents during May by Lady Leila Benton Jones of Irnham Estate. As she stepped forward to view the sign, to lots of applause, she exclaimed ’Oh wow, it’s so cool, I love it, it’s gorgeous.’ Sir Jamie Benton Jones said I think we should say ‘We now open Irnham’. It is fair to say the sign has been extremely well received by the local community and the many visitors to the village are impressed.
