The last of the round pounds enters circulation

18th November 2016

Enaie Azambuja

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With the new twelve sided pound coin entering circulation next year, people in the UK will slowly see the disappearance of the round coinage over the next few years. The change in currency will be of particular note to Barnshaws Section Benders, whose work is immortalised on the round pound coin as part of the ‘Bridge Series’ by artist Edwina Ellis.

The iconic tilting Gateshead Millennium Bridge is one the country’s engineering landmarks, a truly unique structure with a distinctly modern appearance. Barnshaws Section Benders were contacted by Watson Steel Structures Limited, now part of Severfield PLC about the project, and as a result induction bent the curved bridge section and pressed plates for the lifting mechanism that facilitated the project’s completion.

After the bridge had been built, the Royal Mint honoured the structure by its inclusion in a series of coins that also included the Forth Railway Bridge, Menai Bridge and Egyptian Arch Railway Bridge. The bridge series aimed to promote the engineering pedigree of each of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom, with 26,180,160 Gateshead Millennium bridge coins released into circulation.

The coin itself depicts the bridge during tilting, which allows river craft to pass under the structure, bordered by a circumference pattern of struts. The bridge itself stretches 126 metres across the River Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle, and was designed by Gifford and Partners in conjunction with Wilkinson Eyre.

Greg North, Commercial Director at Barnshaws commented: “It was fantastic to be recognised by the Royal Mint for our work, and it was very positive for the industry to see the Government promoting the importance of steel engineering in major structures. We were very happy to be involved in such a landmark project that sparked large national interest. We hope that with the advent of new coinage, the Government keeps its policy of raising the awareness of the unique steel construction projects that take place in the UK.”

Barnshaws Section Benders is one of the largest metal bending companies in the world, with great expertise in working with ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The company operates UK facilities in the West Midlands, Manchester and Hamilton, plus a new facility in Poland – which together offer the largest cold bending machine capacity in the world. Barnshaws expertise has seen its curved metal products recently incorporated in the Francis Crick Institute, Wimbledon Centre Court and Manchester Victoria Station – which makes the company no stranger to large prestige construction projects.