Isabella Gilding, joined Dr. Nicola Stacey, director of the Heritage Of London Trust, and designer Kit Kemp MBE as speakers for the Gilding discussion as part of the Meet the Makers Behind London's Heritage series to honor London Craft Week. This series honored three gifted artisans who've been assisting in the restoration of London's lost heritage and bringing the interesting histories of each place to light.
The speaker for this event, Isabella Gilding, a recent graduate of Arts University Bournemouth with a BA (HONS) Model Making (2022), specialized in scale props and sets for cinema, advertising, and miniature animation in her course.
Isabella Gilding approached HOLT and was asked to design a small version of one of the firm's great projects. Stanley Halls in Croydon, a highly intricate and exquisite feat of architecture with a unique history, was her choice. Bronze busts were previously displayed in alcoves around the building's façade. The alcoves have remained vacant since they were stolen one night in the 1960s. Isabella's model will be used to test future works and restore the sculptures to the structure.
Overall, Isabella's fine scale architecture models are a lovely way to bring three-dimensional concepts of the historic building to life. A simple method to demonstrate how design influences everything from dazzling theater sets to inventive new structures. It would be great to see the sculptures restored just like Isabella imagined them.
