The Foundry carried on throughout the Second World War, even though bronze was in short supply. At one stage, there were only Charles and Bill Hayter snr., a plaster and wax moulder who joined the firm in the 1920s, working. However, around this time (c.1943) two very important customers began to use the Foundry: Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore. The latter continued to send us work until near the end of his life.

After the War, craftsmen like John Carney (later of the foundry Fiorini and Carni), Jim O’Donnell and Burt Paine joined the staff alongside Bill Hayter as did Charles’ brother in law Burt Francis. During these years, very many bronze portraits were cast for Epstein as well as larger works such as ‘Visitation Youth Advancing’ and in the late 1950s General Smuts in Parliament Square. Henry Moore likewise had many bronzes cast at this time including the Family Group, Leaf Figures and the Reclining Figure for the Festival of Britain in 1951.

A new band of staff joined the firm around 1950. They included Burt’s brother, Len Freiensener , Charlse’s son Michael, Burt’s son Roy and Bill Hayter’s son Bill. These four were the core of the Foundry until the 1990s.

In 1951, the Foundry became a limited company and in 1956 it relocated to a purpose built site in Michael Road off Kings Road (our present location). Charlse’s brother Sydney was a great support financially at this time. Many famous sculptors flocked to the Foundry over the next three decades – the golden age of bronze sculpture. They included David Wynne, a customer for fifty years, Anthony Caro, Barbara Hepworth, William Redgrave, Oscar Nemon, Elizabeth Frink, Lynn Chadwick, Eduardo Paolozzi, Michael Ayrton, F.E. McWilliam and Benno Schotz.

Bronzes were cast for overseas customers including a dog now sited on Lake Tekop in New Zealand. Fifty portrait heads of native Eskimo and Indians were also cast for a Canadian sculptor Harold Pfeiffer, and are now in the Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Canada.

In 1969, Charles died aged 78. Michel Gaskin became chairman and business continued. John Doubleday became a prolific customer, as did Lorne McKean, William Turnbull, Angela Conner and Nathan David.

Over fifteen lifesize statues have been cast for Doubleday and other sculptors. These included Churchill, The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Macmillan, de Gaulle, Margot Fontein at Reigate and Charlie Chaplin in Leicester Square.

The Foundry struggled through the recession of the early 1990s, with Len and Roy both retiring and Michael going part-time. The Foundry has since begun to modernise its processes and Roy’s son Philip, who joined in 1982 has been training a younger team alongside Bill Hayter. The Foundry now uses the ceramic shell method of casting. In 2000, two large scale jobs were successfully completed, which put this new technique to the test; they were a life-size bronze of George Vancouver by Penny Reeve sited in Kings Lynne and Reconciliation by Josephina de Vasconcellos placed at Stormont.