HEAVENLY gates for a new Japanese wedding hall in Hiroshima have been manufactured by an East Lancashire wrought iron company.

The huge gates are more than 12ft high by 22ft wide and have been designed and manufactured by Rourke's.

They are part of a £250,000 order for the Heiankaku Group which has nine wedding halls and ten funeral homes.

Already the company, started by managing director ironsmith Brian Rourke more than 40 years ago in a hen coop on Deerplay Moor above Bacup, has made railings, smaller gates and a spiral wrought iron staircase for another wedding hall.

And the company was so pleased with the craftsmanship, it publicised the work in a local paper and placed the order for a new wedding hall it is constructing.

In Japan wedding and funeral costs are high and so Heiankaku offers people the chance to deposit money regularly to offset costs.

Brian said: "The gates are black and gold and have a monogram of the company in a large oval shape. Along the columns there are red and pink roses in panels. "We have also made three screens for inside the wedding hall in Austrian, French and traditional English styles.

"We have also made chandeliers measuring more than 6ft and wall lights. They will be shipped out by container next week and will take six weeks to arrive in Japan."

Brian and a delegation from Rourke's visited the site in October and the job has taken the company five months to complete.

The business has 100 contacts in Japan and regularly manufactures products for 20 businesses and individuals.

Rourke's operates from a £1milllion, 60,000 sq ft factory on a six-and-a-half acre site in Accrington Road.

The Burnley-based company has won awards for its fine workmanship and has also produced pieces for the film world and even a chandelier for Bianca Jagger.

Brian will be returning to Japan in October to see the gates in situ.