A Bristol-based joinery manufacturer took the unusual step of sourcing Kevlar armour protection for a £170,000 contract at a Warwickshire gallery.
The armour, used to make one of the new doors for the gallery, was sourced by Clifton Joinery from a company supplying the British armed forces.
The tulipwood fire-resistant door was made of a sandwich construction with Kevlar at its centre. Another unusual feature was the installation of gas struts in the wall above to lift the architrave and create extra space for large paintings being moved through the doorway.
Clifton made more than 15 doors and supplied hundreds of metres of MDF panelling for the gallery’s visitor centre and security building. Oak cladding was used in a tunnel linking the centre and gallery, due to open in 2004, while original joinery was also refurbished.
