The dedication of a plaque on one of the only two remaining buildings that were once part of J.W.Singer & Sons, Frome, was made on the corner of Cork Street and Waterloo, on Monday 4th November in front of a small crowd.
Donated by the Frome Society for Local Study the plaque above the doorway to Cycology commemorates John Webb Singer and his art metal works, the foundry that put Frome on the map in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Here was cast some of this country’s most iconic public statues, including Boudica and her Daughters by Westminster Bridge, Oliver Cromwell outside the Houses of Parliament and the Figure of Justice on the Old Bailey.
Amongst the onlookers were Jeremy and Stephen Yates, John Webb Singer’s great-great-grandsons and their stepmother Cynthia Yates, OBE, who were thrilled to be able to take part in the ceremony.
This was one of the last events associated with the year-long celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of John Webb Singer Casting the World: The Story of J.W.Singer and Sons, Frome initiated by Rook Lane Arts Trust with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project has seen the town coming together to celebrate Singer’s legacy in Frome, which can still be felt today.
The celebration will officially end with the Singer’s statue-inspired Lantern Parade at the Frome Extravaganza on the 29h November where the Frome Carnival prize-winning Boudica lantern float will again be on show.
Copies of Casting the World: The Story of J.W. Singer and Sons, Frome are still available to buy at Frome Museum, Hunting Raven Books and Discover Frome in the Black Swan. They cost £10, which all goes towards the conservation programme for the 3000 Singer’s glass plate negatives.
