History of Ironwork
Wrought Iron
We do not know exactly when iron was first discovered, as it was before written history, but it was probably as far back as 3500 BC in ancient Egypt. Wrought iron was the first form of iron known to man it was produced on a small scale from charcoal and iron ore in small furnaces.
Evidence shows that by the 8th Century BC the early civilisations had armies with iron swords. Knowledge about the use of iron had reached western and central Europe by 600 B.C, when it was brought by traders travelling long distances to sell their goods, or by tribes looking for fresh land to cultivate. Iron was used by these people for axes, sickles, harnesses, chains and nails. Much later, in the medieval period the use of iron had grown and people began to use it for covering doors and windows to help protect them from attacks. Also around this time, wrought iron started to appear in decorations, notably in Canterbury and Winchester Cathedrals.
Ironwork boomed in the 18th Century, as beautiful railings and gates became popular in London. The development of the blast furnace meant increased wrought iron production, but it still relied upon charcoal as fuel. In 1709, in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, Abraham Darby first used coke as alternative to charcoal in his blast furnace. This was due to a timber shortage at the time, but it was found that coke made the blast furnace more efficient because it supported a larger charge of iron ore and allowed increased movement of blast-air.
In 1839 the Scottish engineer James Nasmyth invented the steam hammer and paved the way for making very large forgings such as the propeller shafts for ships and crankshafts of big engines. This meant by the 1860s, wrought iron was under high demand, playing its part in pushing forward the industrial revolution as ironclad ships and railways were being produced. As iron became more common, it was then used to make household items such as cooking utensils, stoves, grates and furniture.
Over the years, the popularity and therefore production of wrought iron diminished with the increased availability and quality of mild steel. As less wrought iron was being produced its cost steadily grew. In the 1970s wrought iron production ceased in Britain. Today, wrought iron it is only available in Britain in recycled form. The small amount that is rolled is used in heritage conservation work where like for like materials are required. The new forged ironwork you see produced today often described as wrought iron is almost always steel.
