A guide for owners of buildings with Victorian cast iron balconies.

This guidance was complied by Carol Heidschuster and team at North East Lincolnshire Council as part of a Townscape Heritage project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A practical ‘crib-sheet’ to point you in the right direction when dealing with heritage ironwork.  Where do you start? What should you look for? What are the issues?

Download this helpful snapshot overview here: Ruined or Restored? (.pdf)

How can you tell if ironwork has been traditionally manufactured?  The following guidance, kindly made available by Proctor Taylor and Topp & Co., should help you distinguish forged work from fabricated, or help you show someone else the difference.  Download here: Forged-vs-fabricated.pdf (.pdf)

Historic England have various free downloads relating to metals conservation: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/technical-advice/buildings/maintain-and-conserve-metals/ as well as a book on the subject: Metals, which is part of their Practical Building Conservation series.

This volume deals with the conservation of a group of materials that have been used in buildings for everything from structural components and fixings to weatherproofing, repairs, and decoration. It covers both the iron-based and the non-ferrous metals (such as copper, bronze and lead), in each case considering technological evolution, deterioration processes, and the practical application and long-term implications of the common conservation materials and methods.

Inform Guide – Finials and Terminals; conservation, repair and maintenance, published by Historic Scotland in 2008

Finials and Terminals (.pdf)

Inform Guide – Fireplaces; conservation, repair and maintenance, published by Historic Scotland in 2008

Fireplaces (.pdf)

Inform Guide – Boundary Ironwork.  Conservation,  repair and maintenance, published by Historic Scotland in November 2005

Boundary Ironwork: A guide to re-instatement (.pdf)

The Maintenance of Cast Iron Rainwater Goods, published by Historic Scotland in January 2007

The Maintenance of Cast Iron Rainwater Goods (.pdf)

Care and Maintenance of Corrugated Iron.  Conservation, repair and maintenance guidance, published by Historic Scotland in 2008

Care and Maintenance of Corrugated Iron (.pdf)

Maintenance of Iron Gates and Railings. Conservation, repair and maintenance by Historic Scotland, 2007

The maintenance of Iron Gates and Railings (.pdf)