Memorial Cross

Earlier this year St Edward’s R.C. Church in Oldham commissioned us to create a lasting memorial to Canon Eugene Dolan who passed away in 2017 after 47 years of service to the parish.

It was essential that they could trust us to create a unique and lasting piece which reflected Fr. Dolan’s Irish roots and his commitment as to spreading the word of the Gospels. To that end we were inspired by some of Ireland’s greatest religious treasures, which included the Book of Kells for the four outer designs of the Four Evangelists and the Chalice of Ardagh for the central motif.

After making the original model in clay Bronzecast undertook all the mould making and bronze casting work to recreate the piece in patinated bronze.

“….we selected Stephen Charnock for the commission after we had viewed an impressive YouTube video showing Stephen sculpting a bust in bronze of the famed horse racing commentator, Sir Peter O’Sullivan. Stephen had an immediate grasp of the kind of Celtic Cross we were aiming for. Throughout the process he kept us informed of its progress and gave us the impression of his being  completely dedicated to his art.  He has created a worthy memorial to a great priest. It is a stunningly beautiful work of art, a magnificently modern version of the traditional Celtic Cross. Our parishioners have fallen in love with it since the day it was unveiled.“

Declan Lyons (Parishioner)

This short video about this project explains the various stages in the bronze casting process: