A J Wells & Sons

A.J Wells and Sons designed, developed, manufactured and installed the beautiful vitreous enamel external soffit on the sixth floor of The Rowe, Whitechapel, London. This bold and colourful large-scale public artwork is the creation of acclaimed London-based artist Yinka Ilori.  The multi coloured panels of this prestigious artwork were installed as part of a six-story building extension designed by Architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for developers Frasers Property. The building’s twelve floors are now split between the upper six which have been designed as a reflection of the original building below. These two areas, old and new, are separated by an external terrace that features the beautiful vitreous enamel external soffit, creating a striking visual for both those on the sixth floor and from street level below.  

April 2022 saw the official re-opening of the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol’s oldest art gallery, complete with the building’s striking new external lift shaft. Clad in a large-scale artwork designed by the acclaimed artist, sculptor, and printer maker Peter Randall-Page and produced by A.J Wells and Sons in stunning Vitreous Enamel. We surveyed, designed, manufactured and installed the beautiful vitreous enamel cladding panel system.The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is in Clifton, Bristol, and is situated in a Grade 2 listed building, which hosts five galleries and an exceptional exhibition program focused on the best of British Art. This project is a wonderful example of how vitreous enamel, a heritage material, can bridge the historical and contemporary. Allowing modern art to fuse with and enhance historical architecture.KEY FEATURES: • Wall installation using WellsClad • Vitreous enamel claddingA.J WELLS SERVICES: • Survey • Design • Metal fabrication • Enamelling • WellsClad framing

A.J Wells designed, manufactured and installed around 1500 square metres of vitreous enamel artwork cladding at the New Griffith House building and boundary wall at Chapel Street, London, as part of a London Underground Upgrade Package.Renowned textile artist Jacqui Poncelet provided the design which was screen printed onto each panel measuring 1.8 x 1.2 metres.

A.J Wells manufactured three hundred square meters of coloured vitreous enamel cladding covering a lift shaft in the new students centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science on its Aldwych campus.The striking building, known as the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre (SAW), was designed by Dublin based practice O’Donnell & Tuomey Architects with the aim to transform the student social experience by creating a student hub at the heart of LSE’s campus. The centre houses a number of student facilities and offices including a gym, media centre, internet cafe and a pub!Vitreous enamel was specified for the external cladding of the lift shaft because of its durability, low maintenance and unique, vibrant surface finish.

Clapham Junction Train Station is one of Europe’s busiest Railway Stations handling up to 50,000 passengers per day. AJ Wells designed, built and installed vitreous enamel cladding for the Grant Road Entrance.Detailed site surveys were carried out to design the appropriate framing system for the cladding panels. There were a number of design requirements to be considered including: provision of a rainwater management system, emergency fire escape, access doors, interfaces with electrical equipment, staircases and uneven flooring.Everything was successfully incorporated, manufactured and installed on-time and within budget in time for the new connection to the Overground to open just before the London Olympics.During installation, careful logistics and passenger safety were our top priority, with much of the works carried out at nights and weekends. Much of our work was carried out alongside other contractors working on floors, ceilings and electrical connections.KEY FEATURES: • Framing system and vitreous enamel cladding • Incorporates rainwater management system • Incorporates emergency fire escapeA.J WELLS SERVICES: • Design, Build & Install Project • Site-Survey, CAD design • Manufacture • Installation of framing system and VE cladding • Provision of project documentation

A.J Wells manufactured and installed over 600 square metres of vitreous enamel cladding panels for the fourth floor of world renowned department store Harrods.The Knightsbridge store unveiled the new section in November 2013 as part of a £200m makeover. In a radical overhaul the Way In fashion section was converted into a 30,000 square foot “Fashion Lab” with cast concrete floors, crackle-glazed wall panels, steel columns and a metal grid ceiling system. The department houses an array of contemporary brands aimed at the younger market.Working with Found Associates, A.J Wells designed and manufactured the wall panels and the framing system. Vitreous enamel was specified for its durability, low maintenance and luxurious surface finish. A unique satin enamel finish was used with a subtle crackle glaze effect. The panels wrapped the walls of the store and formed counters and cash desk bulkheads. The cladding also extended into a café area within the store.The cutting edge scheme, designed by Found Associates, was deliberately minimal with uniform fixtures and fittings and plain enamel walls to counter the confusion often associated with concessions within department stores.KEY FEATURES:• Satin crackle glaze vitreous enamel• Wall cladding• Counter frontage and bulkheadsA.J WELLS SERVICES:• Design & development• Manufacture• Framing• Project management• Installation

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is the largest of Scotland’s seven regional transport partnerships. In addition to operating a number of specialist bus services they are also responsible for the Glasgow Subway.AJ Wells produced 600 square metres of curved white vitreous enamel panels for Kelvinhall Station. Covering the length of the station’s platform the cladding system incorporated a coloured vitreous enamelled platform finder and was finished with a powder coated aluminium extruded cover trim. In addition to surveying, designing and manufacturing the system AJ Wells installed the cladding using specially designed access equipment and scaffold tower.KEY FEATURES: • Subway cladding • Curved vitreous enamelA.J WELLS SERVICES: • Survey • Design and manufacture • Installation

The Newcastle Metrocentre is the largest shopping centre in the European Union containing over 330 stores occupying 194,000 m2.During 2008 and 2009 part of the centre was redeveloped. A.J Wells & Sons were asked to produce a series of vitreous enamelled cylindrical pillars. Enamel was specified due to its longevity, resistance to abrasion and hygienic properties.A.J Wells rolled and fabricated the columns to extreme levels – rarely achieved in enamel cladding. A recess within the metalwork was also added to house coloured neon lights.The result is a spectacular display of robust yet elegant pillars ranging from 2.5 to 7 metres in height and trimmed with stainless steel.KEY FEATURES: • Curved enamelled column cladding • Neon illumination • Stainless steel trimA.J WELLS SERVICES: • Enamelling • Metal fabrication

A.J Wells manufactured and supplied vitreous enamel white printed cladding panels for the new Bakerloo Line Link Project at Paddington Station, London. The panels were supplied in flat, convexed and concaved profiles that were printed with individual patterns in one of two subtle grey colours to meet the client’s specific project requirements.KEY FEATURES: • Cladding • Vitreous enamelA.J WELLS SERVICES: • Design development • Manufacture • Screen print

AJ Wells designed, manufactured and installed just over 1000m2 of vitreous enamel wall cladding with a metal ceiling to modernise the public areas of Three Bridges Station and provide easy access to hidden electrical and telecommunication services.The metal soffit was designed and installed to act as both a water management system and create an aesthetically pleasing ceiling in the subway and platform access areas. The ceiling also incorporated inspection hatches so that the underside of the rail bridges could be inspected periodically by the relevant parties.AJ Wells carried out the installation work under extremely challenging conditions as Three Bridges station is open 24 hours a day throughout the year. As a result the majority of works could only be carried out during the evening and in the early hours of the morning when customer traffic flow was at a minimum.AJ Wells worked closely with the other trades on the project in order to ensure that all interfaces achieved their required purpose.KEY FEATURES:• Vitreous Enamel Cladding system• PM13 ceilingA.J WELLS SERVICES:• Design• Manufacture• Installation