THE names of Scotsmen Robert and John Hardy and Englishman Richard Padmore may now only be familiar to some Worcester residents, but at one stage it was impossible to walk through the city of Worcester without seeing their handiwork. Established in 1814, their business created some of the most iconic and long-lasting decorative ironwork in the country. In cities throughout the world, examples of their wonderful creations are still available to see. In Worcester itself, many familiar parts of our city’s decoration were constructed at the Hardy & Padmore ironworks in Foundry Street, by local people. Two notable examples are the railway bridge across Foregate Street and the lamps decorating the bridge over the Severn, making Hardy & Padmore’s work a familiar sight to anyone passing through Worcester by rail or river.
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In December, we introduced this English School oil painting on panel belonging to one of the earliest and most cohesive collections within the City Art Gallery & Museum’s fine art store, featuring portraits of many historical characters including Henry VIII and Erasmus. One of 26 artworks donated to the Worcester Natural Society in 1850 by Reverend George Downing Bowles, the subject of this work is thought to be Mary Queen of Scots. For decades, the portrait has been obscured from full view, covered in facing paper designed to protect the image. However, funding from the Leche Trust enabled long-awaited conservation work to take place over the last few months, revealing the portrait in all its glory. After removing the facing paper our conservator was able to painstakingly remove the layer of varnish on the surface, a process which helps to show the paint