May 2010
The Duke of Westminster, RNIB President, recently attended RNIB Rushton's 'topping out' ceremony which marks a key milestone in the construction of the new school and children's home.
Young people who live and learn at RNIB Rushton (now known as RNIB Pears Centre), mixed symbolic ingredients which were moulded into a brick. His Grace laid the special brick as an everlasting commemoration of the new facility to mark the completion of the highest point of the building.
Symbolic mortar brick
The topping out tradition originated in Scandinavia, and originally involved the placing of a branch at the top of the building to thank the trees for providing the wood for the build. The tradition later changed to placing wine, oil, corn and salt in a ceremonial box filled with mortar. Each of these ingredients had a symbolic meaning. The wine symbolised fertility and wisdom, the oil liberty and prosperity, the corn was to ripen prosperity into abundance and the salt symbolised purity and hospitality.
His Grace, The Duke of Westminster, said
"RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home offers life changing support for children with complex needs and sight loss, and their families. Our plan is to build on the work RNIB has already accomplished here, to offer a pioneering care, education and health facility, which will make a real difference to the lives of children with complex needs and sight loss now and in the future."