Sculpting Excellence: A Look Inside The Haddonstone Design Studio With Simon Helm

Here Simon Helm, Studio Manager at Haddonstone, gives an insight into the traditional design and sculpting methods used to create the company’s bespoke architectural and garden stonework products.

How long have you worked at Haddonstone?

I joined the company in 1988. I studied art and design at university and decided I wanted to focus on sculpting after working on a restoration project at Lamport Hall. I saw Haddonstone as a good company which could develop my sculpting skills; and to earn money too was a bonus!  I worked on the factory floor for a couple of years learning the processes and then moved into the design studio.  I’ve now been managing the design studio for over 25 years.

How would sum up your role?

I design, sculpt and create bespoke pieces that will be cast in stone.  Once the design is completed, photographs are sent to the client for approval before we make the production moulds. I sculpt smaller, more intricate projects in modelling clay then make the mould from the model, whereas larger, architectural pieces are modelled in wood or plaster which are then used to make the fibreglass moulds. I like to use traditional methods when I design – no AI or 3D printer sculpting here! 

What is your favourite part of the job?

I love designing and sculpting the original model and realising the 3D design. It’s good to see the finished result and know that it will still be around many years after I’m gone!

Do you work with clients directly on projects?

Clients occasionally visit the studio, but it is more normal for the client to liaise with the sales team. 

What’s the most unusual piece of work a client has requested?

We were asked to scale up a traditional lion finial for the entrance to a grand property in the Middle East. We were presented with an original that was about 28 to 30 inches high, and the client wanted it to be recreated as a seven-foot statue.  We didn’t have the machinery to do it on site, so we worked with a company with a huge CNC machine. The rubber jacket alone weighed 70 kilos!  We saw photographs of the finished statue in situ, and it actually looked quite small!

How long does it take to make a new mould?

That depends on the project. A small simple mould can be made in a few hours, whereas on the other end of the spectrum it can be 12 weeks. One project was to recreate a replacement for a damaged griffin statue. The client had two, so we created a mould from the undamaged one, taking 12 weeks. It’s really important when making moulds for poured pieces not to trap any air, so we use different types of rubber depending on the piece.

How many moulds are in the archive?

We hold 1000s of moulds in the archive. These include many hundreds of masters and, for commonly produced pieces such as balusters, we keep multiples of these. As space is limited, we tend to keep moulds for bespoke pieces for up to six months.

How many times can a mould be re-used?

That depends on the mould. The fibreglass cases we create to hold the rubber mould for the stone to be poured into last for about ten years. On a complicated mould, the rubber will normally last 18 – 24 months. We replace commonly used moulds for features, such as balusters, every eight to ten years.

How many people work in the mould shop?

At the moment, there are three. This has varied over the years depending on what projects we are working on. The tendency at the moment is for more contemporary architectural pieces rather than more intricate stonework. Before our operation in the USA set up a mould shop, we were also making moulds for the team there.

How long does it take to train a new member of the team?

To learn the basics takes six months to a year but, in this job, you never stop learning. Decent pattern makers and model makers are in short supply in the industry, so we are lucky to have long-serving, well trained members of our team.

For further information, call 01604 770711 or visit www.haddonstone.com