The Diespeker team is proud of our contribution to the recent refurbishment of the National Portrait Gallery.
The overall multi-million pound project ‘Inspiring People’ took over three years, including the redevelopment of the building and the redisplay of hundreds of works of art. Diespeker was commissioned to create almost 50 plinths to hold a wide variety of busts from different eras.
The plinths were created in six different marbles: Arabescato, Bardiglio, Pentelikon, Rosso Levanto, Calacatta and Portoro. All marbles were in stock at Diespeker’s yard, enabling us to meet the turnaround time of around six weeks, with a four week staggered delivery period.
The marble was fashioned around a carcass to give the impression of solidity. The challenges included achieving high quality mitres to achieve that solid block appearance, and to match the veining to create a seamless look. All the corners were grooved with a bird’s beak edge 5x5mm detail to avoid sharp edges.
In addition, for access the build of each plinth had to allow for a removable panel 82x142mm which had to be waterjet cut to achieve a minimal joint of around 1mm.
The production and installation of the plinths went extremely smoothly with touch ups only required on one of them after delivery. They certainly add gravitas and opulence to the new look galleries.
This project was something of a historic moment for us, too. Diespeker created the stunning mosaic at the entrance to the gallery in the early days of the business, in 1895. So to be involved with this latest development in the NPG’s history 129 years later is a real honour and testament to our longevity.
- Design:Â Nissen Richards Studio
- Architects:Â Jamie Fobert Architects
- Heritage Consultants:Â Purcell Architects
- Photography:Â Gareth Gardner
