F.H. Brundle plays vital role in heritage craftsmanship

A long-standing partnership between leading building products supplier F.H. Brundle and Lancaster Armoury Limited is playing a part in helping to keep traditional craftsmanship alive – and a unique commission for the prestigious London Fashion Week. 

Mansfield-based business Lancaster Armoury has been crafting authentic medieval reproduction armour for nearly five decades, with current owner Matthew Finchen taking the helm in 2017.  

And while Matt has been using F.H. Brundle for some of the materials needed for his historically accurate creations and tooling for Lancaster Armoury, he’s actually been buying products from them since he started out professionally at the age of 18. 

“As soon as I needed sheet materials to make commissions, F.H. Brundle were the number one company that came up. Back when I was starting to grow the business price was obviously important and F.H. Brundle’s price was always the best,” explained Matt. 

“They’ve got such a broad range of products on their website, and they have consistently been the most reliable supplier, offering unique products that are essential for our craft. Their delivery teams that we have locally are fantastic, with a lot of businesses around Mansfield using them. They are just the perfect supplier.” 

The partnership demonstrates how traditional industrial supplies can find new life in unexpected applications and F.H. Brundle’s extensive range of steel plates, stainless steel sheets, and aluminium sheets, form the foundation for Lancaster Armoury’s bespoke creations, which require exceptional attention to detail and craftsmanship. 

“My favourite product from F.H. Brundle is the big eight foot by four-foot steel sheet which we cut our pattern pieces from. Their range of wrought iron products, such as railheads, have also been particularly valuable for toolmaking and sword pommels and the solid smooth spheres they supply are perfect for our helmet-making process.” 

While Lancaster Armoury has maintained its commitment to reenactment and English Heritage sites, Matt has had commissions from more diverse markets such as HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), jousting, film, theatre and, most recently, high fashion. 

Fashion label Annie’s Ibiza contacted Lancaster Armoury as they wanted to have armour going down the London Fashion Week runway this February. 

Matt collaborated with final-year Costume Design and Making student Isabel Waugh to create innovative pieces merging historical armour techniques with contemporary fashion. The final design is a mix between a 15th century traditional breastplate and a 16th century set of corsetry. 

Michael Brundle, Managing Director of F.H. Brundle, said: “Supporting Lancaster Armoury has been a fascinating departure from our typical commercial and industrial supply work and it’s incredibly rewarding to see our materials transformed into pieces that preserve historical craftsmanship and heritage.  

“We’re particularly excited to see our products featured on the London Fashion Week runway – it’s a testament to the versatility of our materials and Matt’s extraordinary skill.” 

“The London Fashion Week work has been exciting, and it’s opened new possibilities beyond what we normally do and shows the diverse areas we can move into,” said Matt. 

“Each piece we create is entirely bespoke and as demand rises, and if we do move into more diverse markets, we will need a supplier that can provide us with what we need and our relationship with F.H. Brundle has been crucial in meeting these varied demands. Working with a family-owned business that understands our needs and can deliver quality materials quickly has been invaluable for our growth.” 

For more information, call 0808 134 20 86 or visit www.fhbrundle.co.uk.