a 'make do' and mend feature; a wooden dowel substituted for a flute.

The sceptre was removed because it was undersized, and also broken

A Pieta statue which holds dear memories for parishioners is restored

As part of the restoration, we returned the carved wooden phial of oil to the top of St. Walburge’s rule book

Working as a Religious artist was never presented to me as a viable career path...

Restoring a neo gothic saint - or two... Statues before restoration When the statue of Saint Teresa of Avila arrived she was wearing some uncharacteristic green eyeshadow. To be fair, in her teenage years Teresa was hailed as a ‘bit of a looker’, but once she’d had her conversion the trinkets and make-up were definitely ‘out’. While cloistered religious tend to a pale complexion, St. Teresa’s face appeared insipid when compared to the three other figures I had restored. Give

A son's gift We were asked to restore this carved wooden statue of Saint Joseph and the child Jesus by a local man, who had bought it some years ago in an antique shop for his mother. The seller had said it was carved in France, and hailed from the 1850's. As we regularly restore statuary from this period, I'd happily agree with the seller's appraisal. It had not fared well over the years. It stood 57 inches tall and around 30 inches wide. Only experience can tell if a statu

Damaged nodding angel statue This nodding angel made everyone who saw it in my repair shop smile. Smiles are something we have all missed, having worn masks for far too long, so his arrival was more than welcome. I wondered how many children over the years would have enjoyed popping a penny into the mission box, to see the angel nod its head in approval; such a simple thing that brings to mind our guardian angels encouraging us to do good. How old is the angel? The nodding

Our Lady of Fatima outdoor statue restored and blessed by Archbishop Longely for St. Werburgh's school

The following story tells of a poor Crib ox...he had no legs at all....and his tail was missing too!

Statue of Our Lady on old school building About the school's statue This statue of Our Lady of Victories stood above the main doors of an old school building. We were asked to restore the statue as part of the renovations taking place to convert the building into a home. The school was built around 1860 and the statue is fashioned after those produced by Mayers and co. of Munich. This company was founded in 1847 by Josef Gabriel Mayer and still exists today, albeit now produc

Art and ancestors My dad didn't want me to work with plaster as he had done. He said it was messy and dusty and he wanted something...

Sanctuary Angels broken wings restored Lewis & Lewis

The first statue of Our Lady of Lourdes The statue at the grotto of Lourdes is the work of sculptor Joseph-Hughes Fabisch. He was renowned as a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, and became its director in 1874. The statue is his most famous work. It was commissioned by the Lacour sisters who wanted a statue faithful to Bernadette's description. A small plaster statue had been placed in the grotto which seemed inadequate for the growing numbers of the faithful t

Ireland has three Patron saints; St. Patrick, Saint Columcile, and Saint Brigid of Kildare. This statue of St. Brigid had been restored...

Our lady of Lourdes restored for the shrine of St. Walburg's shrine church in Preston Artists throughout the ages have striven to depict the beauty of the Blessed Virgin. Historically she is often portrayed with a delicate chin, large eyes and small mouth. In iconography Her large eyes suggest contemplation of God, and the small mouth, the few words Mary spoke. Heaven itself has helped us to know the face of Mary; she has appeared in apparitions throughout the world, but mos

St. Anthony is a familiar figure in our churches, he either holds loaves of bread, or is depicted holding a book, with the infant Christ...

A forlorn shrine is brought back to life! Fr. Byrne's outdoor statue of Our Lady was on the cusp of being unsalvageable. She was much-weathered, having lost her nose along with several rosary beads. Parishioners attempts at re-painting her had also not been favourable. The statue had been at the parish many years before he arrived. Having inherited it, he wanted to preserve it for the parish if possible; and sent the statue to us with the understanding it may be beyond saving

And Prayer for the conversion of England. In 1381, England was troubled by the peasants revolt against their landlords. The 14 year old...

Restoring a Baby Jesus figure This Bambino was produced by Maison Rafl studio. Its broken arm had been covered in a resinous clay, which...