The Black Swan - TrustNews Jun 12
My wife happened to be chatting to a friend in our neighbourhood of the New Forest, and the subject of wood carving arose because this is the hobby of the friend’s husband. Alan Machen has been carving for a long time and his work is truly remarkable - a huge range of items from figureheads for the Navy to a beautiful chess set depicting the French Navy sailors on one side and the English Navy on the other, all in the Nelson period.
During conversation it was mentioned that his latest venture was the ‘Swan’ for the Black Swan Buildings in Winchester and I later asked whether he would mind me taking some photographs - ‘no problem’.
The bird is carved using a large very expensive piece of oak, kiln dried to about 10% moisture content. It is then reinforced in order to resist any splitting and finished with several coats of paint to preserve the sculpture for as long as possible without maintenance. The swan has had to be totally re-carved as the body of the original had decayed to such an extent that it was impossible to rescue. The new detail is amazing with feathers, a jewelled golden crown around its neck and a wonderful flowing neck and head. I think you will agree that the result is very impressive.
The Black Swan is now proudly back in position on the Black Swan Building at the junction of Southgate Street and the High Street. [ Ed.].