12/04/2026
Milwyn @ 25 — Chapter 9
The Fire
18th October 2018. An ordinary, busy day in the foundry, as we were nearing completion of For the Love of Cyprus.
A bucket of reclaimed wax was being heated to boil off moisture, as was routine. On this day, a combination of excess moisture and a moment left unattended led to the wax boiling over. The resulting foam caught fire — and within seconds the flames had caught the external wall of the wax and moulding room. Stored above were foam and pattern materials, which quickly ignited.
The fire spread rapidly. The heat reached the barn roof, causing cement sheets to explode. Six fire engines attended, along with two ambulances. Smoke could be seen for miles.
Thankfully, aside from a small burn on my hand, nobody was hurt, and remarkably, very little was lost. Some patterns and moulds were destroyed, but no castings. What followed, however, proved far more difficult than the fire itself.
With access restricted and the foundry effectively shut down while insurers and land agents argued over responsibility, work had to continue elsewhere. A temporary casting, shell, chasing and patina area was set up in a neighbouring barn — open to the elements. Moulding and wax work moved five miles away to another farm workshop, kindly offered by the farmer.
Despite everything, the work continued — and within a week, two war memorials, by Hannah Stewart and Nick Dimbilby, were completed on schedule.
At the same time, I was dealing with the impact of the fire, the insurance process, and the uncertainty around the future of Milwyn. It was made clear that Milwyn would not be able to remain on that site.
What came next was not a return to normal, but the beginning of a rebuild.
