Whilst in a craft shop, Peter spotted some owl figurines cast in bronze. He thought to himself, “I can do that” and promptly went home where he set to work. In a short space of time, he had produced a selection of animal figurines which he took from shop to shop to try and secure orders, Plenty of shopkeepers did like them and in 1973 Bronze Age Limited was born.
Production took place in and around Lauder including the Jail under the Town Hall and by 1975 Bronze Age Limited employed ten people.
As the popularity of Bronze Age pieces grew it was time to move premises to a unit on Orchard Estate.
As the 1970s drew to a close the product range had developed to include animal figurines in various sizes to a collection of tiny ones called Tiddlers. The range also included plagues, lamp stands and paperweights.
As Peter entered a new decade it was clear that interest in bronze figures was fading and he also felt he had done all he could artistically with the medium. In 1982 with a flash of inspiration and as an experiment he took one of his small bronze cat pieces and painted it, giving the piece a whole new look. He received an amazing response and it sold incredibly well. The Hopscotch range of small painted animals appeared and larger bronze pieces were adapted to form the miniature collection. These pained miniatures were now generating a quarter of Bronze Age Limited’s turnover.
Due to the response, it was clear that a new approach was the way forward. Rather than using cold cast resin he used ceramic resin instead and employed a team of hand painters. Ideas were forming in Peter’s mind and his creativity was explored with a range of cats in humorous situations, the first of which was a cat rummaging in a dustbin. This was to become Trash Can Cat the first piece from the Home Sweet Home collection.