King Richard III
Making of the Tomb
James Elliott commisioned Alex J. Wright to document the Making of King Richard III’s Tomb and Altar for the reordering of Leicester Cathedral in 2014/15. Here is a short trailer showing just some of the extraordinary processes involved: from the shaping of a 6-tonne block of Swaledale Fossil Stone, to the intricate inlaying of the coat of arms. Modern and traditional methods came together to create a tomb fit for a King.
"The design and making of Richard III’s tomb has been a great team effort; a challenge and a privilege for all of us involved. Over the two years van Heyningen and Haward Architects have spent reordering Leicester Cathedral and designing the tomb, we have been helped by a number of dedicated experts.
Our combined efforts have created an appropriate space in which to lay Richard III’s remains to rest, with a tomb fit for a King of England. Hopefully the effort required to do this is not obvious; only a peaceful space with a fine memorial at the heart of the Cathedral.
One of the highlights of the whole project for me has been selecting and working with some of the finest craftspeople in England. It has been a pleasure seeing one’s design realised to the highest of standards and brought to life in the Cathedral. This wonderful short film by Alex J. Wright shows just a little of the skill and care taken by James Elliott and his team in shaping this tombstone out of a 6-tonne block of Swaledale Fossil. We also see specialists such as Thomas Greenaway inlaying the royal coat of arms in the traditional 16th-century pietra-dura technique and Gary Breeze carving the boars and Stuart Buckle the lettering on the elegant Kilkenny marble plinth."
James McCosh, van Heyningen and Haward Architects
Copyright Notice: The film 'Richard III – Making Of The Tomb' and its content is copyright of © James Elliott | Alex J. Wright 2015. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.
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