The Repair of Wrought and Cast Iron Work - Dublin City Council

IRON THE REPAIR OF WROUGHT AND CAST IRONWORK
The use of ironwork
From the eighteenth century onwards, as iron became
more plentiful and affordable, it rapidly grew in
popularity and came to be widely used in architectural
decoration and embellishment. Its strength, versatility
and durability made it the new building material of
choice. These qualities would eventually change the
face of architecture and engineering by enabling
structures to be designed in previously impossible
ways. As the concept of urban design became
increasingly popular, newly developed streets and
squares came to be bounded, enclosed, and
demarcated by iron railings. In the eighteenth century,
such railings were generally made entirely of wrought
iron and were quite plain, complementing the
Georgian architecture they adjoined. Very early
wrought iron railings, dating to the first half of the
eighteenth century, can be seen lining many of the
houses along Henrietta Street, Dublin, and slightly
later ones (1760s) on Parnell Square in Dublin and
North Mall in Cork. These wrought iron railings were
often complemented by decorative details such as
cast urns, wrought iron lamp arches, or pillars
decorated with fine scrollwork.
Early nineteenth-century railings incorporating
fashionable Neo-Classical decoration such as cast
iron collars, husks, and anthemion (honeysuckle)
finials
Early eighteenth-century wrought iron railings,
Henrietta Street, Dublin. The large-scale
development of squares and terraces from the
1700s onwards fuelled a rising demand for iron
railings
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries,
cast iron was increasingly incorporated into
ornamental ironwork. For example, a gate frame made
of wrought iron would be embellished by ornate cast
iron infill panels, husks, finials, and collars. Railings with
wrought iron bars topped by a diverse range of
ornamental cast iron finials also became widespread.
Wrought iron railings and gates embellished with cast
iron details can be found in virtually every town and
city across Ireland.
Mid nineteenth-century railings with wrought iron
bars and rails, and decorative cast iron finials and
husks
By the 1890s and early 1900s, entire railing panels cast
in iron were becoming increasingly widespread. Cork,
Dublin, Dundalk and Limerick have some superb
examples. While much of this cast ironwork was made
by local foundries, a significant proportion was also
imported from England and Scotland. The production
of cast ironwork had developed into a booming
industry there and manufacturers, many of whom had
offices in Ireland as well, produced extensive
catalogues displaying an enormous variety of designs
for railings, gates, rainwater goods, doorcases,
balconies, lamp standards and other architectural
components.
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