Wrought Iron; Traditional and Contemporary

"... Verdigris; where engineering becomes art ..."

Contemporary wrought iron garden gate Wrought iron gates Frameless ached gate

The metal "wrought iron" is no longer made, though the term now refers to metals such as steel used ornamentally or to a style of decorative metalwork.This style of metalwork typically has an elegance and graceful quality compared to cast iron metalwork.

Essentially, real wrought iron is a mixture of very pure iron with fibrous iron silicate (slag) interspersed throughout. It was produced by hammering then rolling cast ingots into much longer bars, this process gave it its fibrous nature. Its unique combination of iron and silicate fibres gives the metal good corrosion resistance (as the Eiffel Tower testifies), and exceptional hot working properties. Its fibrous nature only reveals itself after it has been fractured or severely corroded.

Unfortunately, wrought iron has not been made for many decades. Blacksmiths now use steel as a modern replacement, since it has many similar properties. However, restoration specialists can still obtain reclaimed and re-rolled wrought iron for heritage and conservation work.