Foundry on move after nearly 100 years

BRITAIN’S last traditional bronze and iron foundry has closed its doors in Edinburgh after almost 100 years.

The foundry will now move across the water to Lochgelly, Fife.

Charles Laing & Sons in the past created plaques to commemorate the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Eric Liddle.

Members of the Laing family gathered at the foundry to see the final piece of bronze being cast. It will be cut into plaques for them to keep, while another section will be sent to the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune to form part of a plane.

Manager Andrew Laing said the final day had been an “emotional” one. “Unfortunately, the current premises are just no longer practical so we are moving to Lochgelly. We have to hand it over by the middle of July so we need to start dismantling things now for us to make the move.

“The new premises are more of an industrial factory as we need to move on with the times, but we will still use all of our original equipment.

“It’s been emotional because the foundry in Beaverbank Place holds so much family history, but we are looking forward to the new adventure.”

The foundry – where the Scottish Baftas were cast – was established in 1920 by Charles Laing.

Mr Laing said his grandfather was a brass moulder who moved to Clydebank to work in a foundry for a few years before coming back to Edinburgh.

The foundry’s work has been sent across the UK and as far afield as Australia and the Faroe Islands.