Long term followers of Ironart may remember that we created and installed pure iron handrails for four of the towers at Wells Cathedral back in 2018 and the complexities we faced working with such a tight corkscrew handrail into ancient stonework.

We were honoured when the team at Wells Cathedral asked us to return and make a similar handrail for the Chained Library Staircase. As before, Jason shaped the 25mm round pure iron using a unique former which mimicked the internal pillar of the staircase. The handrail was then transported in 2m sections and installed using custom wooden jigs to ensure consistent distance from the stonework – with the brackets traditionally rivet connected to the handrail on site.

The Chained Library at Wells Cathedral is one of very few left in Britain today and has been in the same location since it was built in the 1450s. If you make your way up the worn stone of the spiral staircase you will see books collected by the Cathedral cannons during the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries – it is certainly worth a look! From time to time the Wells Cathedral team offer public tours – you can book one at this link.