Decorative iron gates, railings and window-guards are a feature of many Irish houses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries but, over the years, much such ironwork has disappeared. Gates built for carriages and found to be too narrow for cars were thrown away. Balconies, damaged by wear, tear and weather erosion were let go because repair was too expensive. Cast-iron is relatively brittle and fractures due to stress. Wrought-iron is malleable so impact damage caused warps and bends.
Earlier Georgian ironwork was wrought, worked by heating the metal in a forge, then bending and shaping it with forge tools. Wrought-iron tends to be light and intricate, and typically, has decorative scrolls, twists and motifs with components joined by rivets and collar or forge welding. Cast-iron, (metal cast in a sand mould into which molten iron is poured), is heavier and simpler. By the 1840s, iron foundries were producing ornate castings relatively cheaply, and architects could choose decorative ironwork from pattern books rather than relying solely on the village blacksmith.
However, a number of blacksmiths still ply their trade, and it is possible today to replace or repair damaged ironwork in order to offer again an authentic feel to a period home. While many foundries tend to work only in cast-iron, there are a small number of forges which can reproduce or restore wrought and cast-iron period designs. Today, custom-made ironwork often combines wrought and cast-iron pieces joined by lead.
Most restoration jobs begin with cleaning. Paint which has blistered and flaked can be scraped away to expose rusted areas. A build-up of paint can mask the fine detail of decorative pieces. If the area is large, it may need to be sandblasted. Crownfield, Brittas, Co Dublin, specialise in such work. It was they who last year shot-blasted centuries of grime off the gates at Powerscourt, Co Wicklow, to reveal the lovely detail beneath. No job is too small, however, says Paddy Gibbons, and they also work in the domestic market.
Cleaning costs range from £15£30 a sq m, depending on the age of the ironwork, its state of repair and the type of paint. The price includes a zinc-rich finish which cures and preserves the iron, and makes it more amenable to new paint finishes.
The Foley family have been working in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, since 1845 on the forge started by Christy Foley's great-grandfather. His sons Paul, Mark and Alan now work alongside him in the business. They specialise in hand-forged wrought-iron work, including period and Georgian gates, railings and lighting. Samples of their gates and other hand-forged products can be viewed in their showrooms. Dan Kelleher, of Inch Ironcraft, Co Clare, hand forges using traditional tools to make
functional ironware as well as interior furniture, curtain poles and light fittings. He estimates that to reproduce a pair of Victorian-type gates 12 ft wide by six ft high in very heavy iron which has been rust-proofed would cost from £2,000. He also restores old gates, which, depending on their state of repair, can involve virtual reproduction: "It's difficult to give you a standard price for a restoration job, because each is a one-off, individually assessed and priced accordingly," he says.
Jimmy Carroll began his blacksmith apprenticeship in Smithfield in 1941, and this summer he restored the 200-year-old cast-iron staircase at the Department of Education. Today his firm Cearta Teo Blacksmiths, Rathcoole, Co Dublin, make cast-iron Georgian reproduction spiral staircases which cost from £2,200. He is currently making a balcony for a home in north Dublin which involves making all the components involved. He has a stock of old castings of the designs common to different parts of Dublin, and makes and restores gates and railings, with each job individually inspected and priced.
Artist blacksmith Michael O'Sullivan, Bandon, Co Cork, recently reproduced the spindles on a 400-year-old wrought-iron staircase which was becoming loose. "The people were looking for someone to do it for over three years," he said. "I love the small jobs as well. People come to me looking for the wall irons for period gates, I make these as well as restoring or reproducing period gates". One of his specialisations is the making of a hand-forged iron gate known as the blacksmith gate dating from the 1800s: "These gates are like gold-dust, and anyone that has one is really looking after it". To reproduce a period blacksmith gate 12 to 14 ft-wide and four ft high will cost from £750 upwards. The artist blacksmiths at Bushy Park Ironworks, Tallaght, have dozens of period samples, drawings and period casts which allows them replicate an existing design or create a new classic design. Simple gate repairs start from £100. Gates can be widened from £50 a foot. A pair of gates, measuring six ft high and 11 ft wide can be made from £800, with matching wrought iron pillars from £400 each.
Period railings cost from £150 a metre, and again railings can be matched to the gate finial and collar design. Balconies can be repaired or made - a balcony four to five ft wide and one ft deep can be replaced from £400. Finally, Athy Co-operative Foundry cast for the trade, making parts and castings for railings, lights, gates and grilles, and will also act as middleman pointing members of the public towards the blacksmith or foundry which best suits their needs.
