Decorative cast Iron Urn by James Woodford Circa 1939

Ian Clark Restoration was commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council to carry out a condition survey and produce a conservation method statement for public display and long-term preservation.

Subsequently ICR was selected to carry out the conservation work which included historical paint analysis, sensitive surface cleaning and full decorative protective treatment.

This cast iron urn depicts Diana the Huntress and stands outside County Hall, Hertford

James Woodford (1893-1976) Sculptor
Woodford was born in Nottingham and studied at the School of Art there. During the 1914-1918 war he served with the 11th Battalion Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters) and was "Mentioned in Dispatches". When the war ended he attended the Royal College of Art and during the 1939-1945 war was a camouflage officer with the Air Ministry. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1945 and was a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

James Woodford is perhaps best known for the 10 heraldic beasts which stood at the entrance to Westminster Abbey for the coronation in 1953 of Queen Elizabeth and were especially commissioned for that great ceremony

Woodford was awarded the Prix de Rome for Sculpture in 1922.