Our Heritage in Commercial Painting and Decorating

11 March 2023

Bagnalls has a rich history of delivering a wide range of projects over the course of its 145 years.  Many, although important to the customer, are just run of the mill painting and decorating jobs.  However, others have formed landmarks in the company’s heritage and are still talked about today.

Shipley Bridge to Canary Wharf

In 1875, Alfred Bagnall and Cornelius Lupton quoted to paint a bridge in Charlestown, Shipley for £258.00. A small job in comparison to some of the bridges we have painted but one that helped establish the company’s fortunes.

Since then we have undertaken many bridge projects including work on the bridge that crosses the River Wye, the Humber Bridge and the passenger commuter bridge at Meadowhall shopping centre.  An award-winning project was the Docklands Light Railway Bridge which spans the Canary Wharf complex in London.  The design was a realisation of the artist Sinta Tantra’s vision, titled “A Beautiful Sunset Mistaken for a Dawn”.

The British Empire Exhibition and Empire Stadium

In 1922 Bagnalls were commissioned by building contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, to deliver the painting, sign writing, scenic work and decorating for the British Empire Exhibition.  Over 200 tons of paint were used to decorate the great palaces and giant structures, as well as hundreds of gallons of enamels and enormous quantities of gold leaf and gold paint.

In addition, the company were commissioned to paint the Empire Stadium, known to many as Wembley Stadium, in time for the cup final held in April 1923. Bagnalls has since worked on the pathway to the new Wembley stadium as well as externally coating the nearby Wembley Arena.

Aviation History – Concorde

In the 1960s, Bagnalls painted the hangar, in Filton, where Concorde planes were originally assembled, and in 2017, were commissioned to paint at Aerospace Bristol, the new home of the Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last Concorde ever built and the last to fly. Being part of Concorde’s history resonates with the company’s Bristol branch and many of its painters and managers.

Photos taken on location at Aerospace Bristol with the permission of the Bristol Aero Collection Trust.

Combatting Infection

Paint has long been used as a means to combat bacteria and create hygienic environments.  Bagnalls’ expertise was used during world war one to regularly redecorate hospitals in France, where casualties were being treated and in world war two to camouflage defence locations.  We continue to paint at many hundreds of NHS and healthcare facilities across the country, providing hygienic coatings and general redecoration to enhance patient health and help prevent the spread of infection.