Wrought Iron

Wrought Ironwork

‘Wrought’ -- A fine Chaucerian word that aptly describes the process in which this metal comes to life, and has done so from earliest times – roman door handles were made of it, as were the railings at Westminster Abbey in the 13th century.  

In its early days, wrought iron was smelted into blocks from iron ore over charcoal beds, and in the 18th & 19th centuries it was produced in pigs or blocks on an industrial scale, before being worked through rollers and by hand into the end product.  Its production method gives wrought iron a low carbon content and about 5% "slag", a wonderful non-technical term that covers silicates or carbides which become like glass when heated.  Not only do they give the metal great workability as iron layers slide over the molten glass ones, but when cooled they form resilient strands which make the finished product resistant to impact and strong in tension. 

The anchor chains of large ships have been made from wrought iron for centuries, whilst the masterly 1860gates of the Palace of Westminster have recently withstood ramming by a motorist incensed by failings of the NHS.

During the early years of Victorian enterprise, wrought iron was frequently used in great engineering structures such as railway bridges for its inherent strength, flexibility, and the gradual way it deforms under over-loading, thus giving a watchful eye enough notice to take remedial action.  When protected by another endangered species, lead-based paint, structures like the Forth Bridge can last several life-times before maintenance – it is a popular myth that such bridges are constantly repainted, because they are much too difficult and costly to access.

Wrought iron can be shaped and combined under heat and hammering to produce a great variety of shapes under the craftsman’s art: it’s often seen in the intricate gates or railings of large estates, or can simply be rolled flat and punched into different patterns – "repoussé work",  as scholars put it.  

When large panels of wrought iron are made into ensembles like an entrance gate, it’s often difficult to make long joints in the furnace so the different units may be screwed or pinned together with iron or bronze screws.  Another unsung virtue of wrought iron is its unusual resistance to rust, provided the mill finish remains undisturbed by well-meant attempts to clean it by grit blasting.  The mill surface is often painted for aesthetic and maintenance reasons, of course, but a hard-worked anchor chain, constantly battered and subject to salt water, is still capable of new life a century or so later.  

The demand for this wonderful material has declined sharply with the rise of mild steels and cast metals, fine materials that nonetheless have their limits, and cast iron is worthy of fresh consideration beyond the field of pure conservation.  Wider use would also encourage commercial production once more:  at present, the sources are purely from demolition or salvage, and there may be only one workshop in western Europe that is geared up for such re-cycling.