Latest News

17 Mar

Installing Quatrefoil Channel Grating Part 1

Channel Gratings are ideal for collecting surface water along the lengths of pavements, drives and at the base of doorways and conservatories. Here we are installing a Quatrefoil channel grating at the base of a 2.4 metre wide garden step in the grounds of a listed building. Our system uses the Manthorpe plastic channel with […]

16 Mar

Installing Quatrefoil Channel Grating Part 2

Once the channel gratings are all in place, carefully mortar/concrete the pathway ensuring the fall is towards the channel and the channel falls gently towards the drain hole. It may be worthwhile placing the cast iron Quatrefoil grilles in position to ensure the concrete doesn’t distort the plastic channel. Allow to set and then clean along the plastic […]

12 Jan

Quatrefoil Junction Box

We’re pleased to announce the introduction of an essential grille that will really expand the opportunities for different layouts using our Quatrefoil channel grating system. The Quatrefoil square is an essential grille to have when using our Quatrefoil channel grates in an L, T or X shape. The junction box beneath the grille clips into the […]

25 Nov

Tree Planting – Carbon Offsetting

Melting iron to create our products uses energy either electricity or gas in large quantities. We keep the amount of energy used by commissioning only British foundries who, use energy as frugally as possible and meet EU emission standards with regards to pollution (unlike their Chinese counterparts). But there’s no escaping it, manufacturing our products […]

8 Sep

New Channel Grating

After years of research and hundreds of requests from architects and period property developers, we’re delighted to introduce our latest innovation – an elegant and simply stunning cast iron channel grille combined with a modern interlocking channel system. The Quatrefoil linear drainage channel, also known as channel gratings or French drainage channels are specifically suitable […]

12 Aug

Cellar, Fresh Air Inlets and Sewer Vents

It sounds as if we’re describing three different types of vent here but the cellar vent, fresh air inlet and sewer vent are all the same vent. I’m sure you’ll want to know what on earth a picture of the Titanic has to do with all this but please read on… These rather splendid looking […]

21 Jul

National Trust Restoration, Castle Drogo

This weekend we went along to see some of the conservation work being carried out at Castle Drogo, Chagford in Devon, England. The castle is owned by the National Trust and the restoration work is a huge undertaking, likely to cost around £12 million. The scaffolding completely encloses the castle which is dwarfed inside by a […]

8 Jul

Prototype Quatrefoil Channel Gratings

Our varied selection of 3 feet long gratings have always been a favourite for those wanting to replace ugly plastic and pressed tin grilles on top of channel gratings (also known as Ako drains) , with decorative cast iron grilles Unfortunately, at 3 feet long, our grilles are not a perfect fit for sitting on top of the metric, 1000mm […]

26 Mar

Made to Measure

We have been making square hole gratings in a wide range of sizes for many years. It’s been a bespoke service and we have measured grilles for customers as and when they enquire and worked out the free area in mm2 that can be achieved for ventilation. While it started out with us making the occasional grille, it’s […]

17 Jan

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

In November last year we spent a few days in Glasgow, looking for inspiration for new products and air bricks in listed buildings and period properties. Throughout the city are hundreds and hundreds of wonderful buildings and it wasn’t too long before we stumbled upon the works of the world renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. We […]