Our History

Company History

In 1946, when Mr A.H. Butcher started the firm with his RAF gratuity, centuries of London’s architectural heritage had been badly bomb damaged in the Blitz. Beautiful moulded ceilings, columns, arches, fountains, and other features belonging to some of London’s treasured buildings, houses, hotels, restaurants and public buildings, stood in sore need of restoration.

To meet the demand for this highly skilled work, A.H. Butcher gathered together into the firm a team of the finest craftsmen available. In doing so, he laid the foundations for Butchers’ present reputation as the finest source of traditional decorative plasterwork in London.

Now, over 75 years later, the present Butcher Plasterworks staff are as skilled as their forebears. It’s a rare skill these days. And not surprisingly, examples of Butchers’ mastercraft can be found not only in this country, but all over the world.

History of Plaster

Fibrous plaster is a tough, versatile material, widely used in 18th and 19th century houses for decorative effect, as cornices, ceiling roses, mirror frames, fireplace surrounds and a wealth of other elements. Made from a mixture of plaster and hessian, it is formed in moulds, allowing craftsmen to achieve a finesse of detail that only carved wood can match. Fibrous plaster is, of course, quick to make and far less expensive than carved wood; prefabricated in the workshops, it is rapidly installed on site, and then needs only final decorative finishing.

Butchers’ premises house a matchless collection of moulds; a treasure house of architectural detail and a vital resource for restoring period houses. Where they cannot match from existing moulds, new ones can be made by a complex process of clay modelling. So important is the collection that it is currently in the process of being photographed for an extensive historical archive. In time, all these items will be featured on this site.