The Ironart team were commissioned to restore some traditional railings on a Georgian townhouse on the corner of Bennett Street in the centre of Bath. The railings had been badly damaged when a car crashed into them, buckling and twisting the finials and bars. The whole lot had collapsed into the light-well basement area in front of the house.

We refer to this particular style of railing as ‘Bath Finial railings’ because their elegantly tapered tips are the most predominant design you’ll see around the old parts of our World Heritage City. These classical railings were traditionally made from wrought iron and date from around the late 1700’s. This set could well have been drawn down by hand using charcoal iron – identifiable by their slightly uneven shapes. If historic railings in a heritage setting tend to look very uniform and straight, then it’s likely they were made in an iron rolling mill – rolling mills came into commission in the UK around 1795.

The Ironart team had to carefully remove the damaged railings with a crane and transport them back to our workshops in Larkhall. Skilled restoration blacksmiths Jake and Cecily were responsible for the restoration of the finials using forge, hammers and straightening blocks to bend each one back into shape. They used twisting bars to take the mangled twists out of the punched top rail. The Ironart team of Luke, Elly and Jake were responsible for fitting them back in situ. Luke has worked for Ironart for more years than we can mention, and is a highly experienced and skilled fitter. The Bath stone copings had been well prepared by WR Bedford Stonemasonry from Bedminster, Bristol.
These railings grace the corner of Bennett Street where it meets Lansdown Hill. Take a close look when you are next passing.