The restoration and re-gilding of the golden ball atop the cupola on the Town Hall roof was undertaken by Trevor Hinton of Tunbridge Wells, using traditional antique restoration methods. The work cost £2,340 and was part of the larger project to restore the cupola and waterproof the Town Hall roof. The completion of this work should now permit the dismantling of the scaffolding which has shrouded the top of the Town Hall building for a long time.
I recall looking at the ball in the company of Brian Hargreaves who lived in New England Lane, some years back. Brian was a celebrated artist, best known for his paintings of butterflies. He illustrated these for the Collins Nature Series and also for the Natural History Museum, sometimes called upon to replace by painting an image of what had once been a preserved specimen of a moth or butterfly. In his youth, he told me, he had worked as apprentice to a specialist gilding firm and been sent to the very top of St Paul’s Cathedral to apply gold leaf to the ball.
Health and safety measures then were not as good as they are today. There is another difference too. In that case the work had to be done in situ at a great height, whereas in this present instance the ball was removed and restored in the safety of Trevor Hinton’s workshop.
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .