rthur Ballantine & Sons was a Victorian metalworking firm and foundry with a history going back to the 1820s, when it was started by two brothers. One brother then bought out the other brother, formally establishing the firm as Arthur Ballantine & Sons in 1856. Twenty years later, the firm built New Grange Foundry, where it was located from 1877. Its later, major work, for example, on bridge-building, continues to make a huge contribution to structures all over Britain and beyond it.
Yet the firm's earlier work, when one of its specialities was ornamental castings, together with the heritage work that it undertakes today, are just as important to the cityscapes of the country. To take the example of Edinburgh alone, "Within a 6 mile loop there were literally thousands of castings made and produced in Ballantine’s foundry over the last 190 years. Throughout the Old and the New Town the variation of architectural castings was staggering; railing bars, finials, balconies, brattishing, cannons, post-boxes, columns, lighting columns and floor grilles to name a few" ("Edinburgh's Architectural Castings").
Further afield, consider also the firm's replacement metal roof tiles for the Elizabeth Tower (popularly known as Big Ben), and, in other large restoration projects, its metalwork for Westminster Bridge, and new parapets for the Holborn Viaduct — not to mention its commissions in many other parts of the world.
Works
Bibliography
"A. Ballentine & Sons." Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Web. 27 November 2020.
"Our History." Ballentine Castings. Web. 27 November 2020.
"Edinburgh's Architectural Castings." Ballentine Castings. Web. 27 November 2020.
Last modified 27 November 2020