Decorative details
Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum defines the difference between cast and wrought iron, delving into the history of iron casting in Britain
Marc Allum looks at the history of cast iron and the legacy left by Coalbrookdale
There’s often confusion surrounding the attribution of cast-iron and wrought-iron objects. Essentially, wrought iron is a low-carbon malleable alloy that has to be worked by hand or through mechanical processes. It was traditionally used for architectural elements, such as gates and balconies – even the Eiffel tower is made of wrought iron. It is a term that is also erroneously applied – stemming from historical methods – to the working of modern steel, a more refined version of wrought iron, which in contemporary terms gives us a whole variety of different steel alloys for particular applications and is the metal now worked by modern blacksmiths. In reality, the differences in wrought and cast iron are more easily defined, but people become confused due to the many objects of a similar nature being made using either process or a mixture of the two. Hand-wrought construction is simply completely different to cast-iron objects, which are made in a mould.
HISTORY LESSON
Cast iron has been used for millennia; the Chinese were utilising its potential some seven thousand years ago for domestic purposes, weapons and agricultural implements. Iron-casting technology
reached new heights in the Renaissance and, as is often the case, it was fuelled by many wars and the arms industry’s desire to produce ever bigger and better cannons.
My interest in cast iron was predominantly helped in my mid-teens by an educational school trip to Coalbrookdale to see Abraham Darby’s famous coke-fired furnaces and, of course, the
Iron Bridge built by Abraham Darby III. Heralded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the area around Ironbridge is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the completion of the world’s ‘first’ cast-iron bridge in 1781 was, and still is, heralded as a major milestone.
The Darby dynasty essentially revolutionised the whole concept of iron casting by developing more efficient, less wasteful, sand-moulded and refined iron-casting processes. It is from these more sophisticated methods that we also see the development of cast iron as a highly decorative medium, especially in architectural elements, such as fountains, railings – or particularly railing heads and finials – bandstands, boot scrapers, fire surrounds, grates and much more. What better way to epitomise the blossoming style of Georgian homes than the stylish hob grate with its decorative cast-iron side panels of swags, portrait medallions or decorative urns?
ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE
The 19th century was to prove an important economic catalyst in the development of material and socioeconomic wealth. Britain, with its huge burgeoning empire and rapidly growing urban middle classes, was proving to be a major powerhouse in the world and demand for all manner of objects soared, including decorative items. The Coalbrookdale Foundry sadly closed in 2017, but its history, although complicated in terms of its various incarnations, has left a lasting historical and tangible legacy.
All too commonly in the antiques trade, castiron items are referred to as ‘Coalbrookdale’. Of course, many are, but that is not to forget the many other centres of major iron-casting throughout the country, such as the Black Country region of the West Midlands, or Glasgow. In 1875, the Coalbrookdale Foundry produced a two-volume catalogue of over 1,000 pages, which gives us a perfect record of the variety of items they produced – or that clients could order – and the diversity is, quite frankly, incredible. It’s also important to note that Coalbrookdale creations can also carry markings within the castings that easily attribute them, such as ‘C B Dale’ or diamond-shaped design registration marks.
EXHIBITION STANDARD
If you want to see the best of Coalbrookdale’s output, the gates on the West Carriage entrance to Kensington Gardens, which were originally constructed for the Great Exhibition of 1851, are a sight to behold. But what types of objects are you more likely to encounter in the marketplace?
The most affordable and frequently available items tend to be decorative or domestic objects
such as stick and umbrella stands or flat irons. There is a huge variety of designs of stick stands, including animalier and figurative stands with hunting dogs and allegorical figures. Prices at auction vary enormously and this often relates to condition, as the brittle nature of cast iron means that they are often damaged.
Cast iron can be difficult and uneconomic to repair, so if a decorative section is completely missing, there is little hope of repairing it. A proficient welder could, however, restore a detached section or a concealed structural element. Average commercial prices for stick stands are around £400-600, while coat stands can easily exceed £1,000. Original paint finishes are desirable but most tend to have been repainted several times.
GARDENS TO GRATES
Garden benches, tables and chairs are sought after items in the market place. The most likely design you will encounter is the Fern Pattern and these frequently appear at auction. Typical estimates are around £800-1,200, or more for a suite with matching chairs. The cast-iron sections are bolted together – and this is where the old brittle castings often fail and shear off. Wooden slats also rot away.
As a note of caution: there are fakes and copies on the market, and they are also a favourite target for garden thieves, so make sure you put your cast-iron garden furniture somewhere safe.
Other designs are more architectural, and Coalbrookdale enlisted the help of prominent designers of the day to boost sales. One of the most talented, Dr Christopher Dresser, designed several items of cast-iron garden and domestic furniture, and these always carry a hefty premium. The lessobvious items, such as cast-iron door knockers, mean that a fairly nondescript example might be worth under £100, but a Dresser design can easily realise £600-800 at auction.
The same remit also applies to fireplaces. The phenomenal demand in the Victorian period led to the production of many millions; hence, there are plenty to choose from in salvage yards and with dealers and auctioneers. Some can be purchased very cheaply; however, damage is again a crucial factor and buying an intact, restored ensemble, including the tiled insert, grate and perhaps a complete cast-iron mantel surround, can cost upwards of £1,000. Add Christopher Dresser’s or other designers’ names and again the price will increase dramatically.
At the more affordable end of the market, you will readily find the likes of boot scrapers, cast-iron clocks, signs, fireside accessories, decorative trivets, letterboxes, sculpture, shelf brackets, sink supports and doorstops. In fact, the infinite variety and historic versatility of cast-iron products is what makes antique items from this, now largely lost, industry so continually alluring.