Jersey's Golden Jubilee Needle wins Commendation in National Awards

A popular piece of public art on Jersey's Waterfront has been recognised by judges at a prestigious national award ceremony in London.

Jersey's Golden Jubilee Needle was commended in the Natural Stone Awards Landscaping Category this lunchtime (Friday 24 November) at the Millennium Hotel, Mayfair. It is the first time that a Jersey piece of sculpture has been recognised at the awards.

Phil Le Roy, Granite Le Pelley's Managing Director, said: "There were a record number of entries this year, and we are absolutely delighted with the judges' commendation. It was a technically demanding project and this award is a great indication that we achieved a national and international standard."

This is the first time that the biennial Natural Stone Awards have been held since the Golden Jubilee Needle was completed in June 2004. The five award judges, all internationally recognised architects, visited every entrant and assessed them against three criteria: innovation, quality of workmanship and sympathy for the environment.

Jersey's Golden Jubilee was competing against many much bigger projects, such as the £1.5m renovation of the west side of the Tower of London, an area that has been used for public gatherings for 900 years.

Mr Le Roy said: "To have been commended means that we were at least in the top three of all entries and, having looked at the competition, I would say that is a massive achievement. I am very proud to have been involved in the project, and I know everyone else involved feels the same."

Granite Le Pelley the Channel Island natural stone specialist company was given special mention for the their involvement, which included design development, engineering and installation. The company is part of the Garenne Group, and recognition was also given to its sister companies Camerons, the needle's main contractors, and Geomarine, which constructed the groundwork and needle base.

The needle is made of four types of Burlington stone. The thin bandings of stone, and the sequence in which they have been placed, were designed to reflect the everchanging colours of the sea. There are 416 bands, each 31.25mm high but progressively thinner, rising from a 1.5 metre diameter at the base to a tip which is 14 metres high.

The design, by Richard Perry, was chosen by the Golden Jubilee Committee from a shortlist of six suggested by the Jersey Public Sculpture Trust. It is a permanent celebration of Jersey's historic links with the Crown.

Mr Le Roy said: "The accuracy in manufacturing was fundamental to the project. The bands of stone were first placed into groups of 16, and we had to ensure that there was a maximum of 0.5mm tolerance within each group in order to ensure that the vertical tolerance was no more than 40mm from the centre."

"The award shows the degree to which we overcame the technical difficulties in the construction of the Golden Jubilee Needle."

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