English Ironwork of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries - An Historical and Analytical Account of the Development of Exterior Smithcraft

ENGLISH

IRONWORK

of the XVIIth & XVIIIth Centuries

AN HISTORICAL & ANALYTICAL ACCOUNT

OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXTERIOR

SMITHCRAFT

By

J. STARKIE GARDNER

Author of English Armour, Old Silverwork,

"Handbooks of Ironwork at the Victoria and

Albert Museum," etc.

With 88 Collotype Plates from Photographs

chiefly by HORACE DAN, Architect

and upwards of 150 other Illustrations

Copyright © 2013 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Metal Work

Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large-scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewellery. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills, processes, and tools. The oldest archaeological evidence of copper mining and working was the discovery of a copper pendant in northern Iraq from 8,700 BC, and the oldest gold artefacts in the world come from the Bulgarian Varna Necropolis and date from 4450BC. As time progressed, metal objects became more common, and ever more complex. The need to further acquire and work metals grew in importance. Fates and economies of entire civilizations were greatly affected by the availability of metals and metalsmiths. The metalworker depends on the extraction of precious metals to make jewellery, buildings, electronics and industrial applications, such as shipping containers, rail, and air transport. Without metals, goods and services would cease to move around the globe with the speed and scale we know today.

One of the more common types of metal worker, is an iron worker – who erect (or even dismantle) the structural steel framework of pre-engineered metal buildings. This can even stretch to gigantic stadiums and arenas, hospitals, towers, wind turbines and bridges. Historically ironworkers mainly worked with wrought iron, but today they utilize many different materials including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, glass, concrete and composites. Ironworkers also unload, place and tie reinforcing steel bars (rebar) as well as install post-tensioning systems, both of which give strength to the concrete used in piers, footings, slabs, buildings and bridges. Such labourers are also likely to finish buildings by erecting curtain wall and window wall systems, precast concrete and stone, stairs and handrails, metal doors, sheeting and elevator fronts – performing any maintenance necessary.

During the early twentieth century, steel buildings really gained in popularity. Their use became more widespread during the Second World War and significantly expanded after the war when steel became more available. This construction method has been widely accepted, in part due to cost efficiency, yet also because of the vast range of application – expanded with improved materials and computer-aided design. The main advantages of steel over wood, are that steel is a ‘green’ product, structurally sound and manufactured to strict specifications and tolerances, and 100% recyclable. Steel also does not warp, buckle, twist or bend, and is therefore easy to modify and maintain, as well as offering design flexibility. Whilst these advantages are substantial, from aesthetic as well as financial points of view, there are some down-sides to steel construction. It conducts heat 310 times more efficiently than wood, and faulty aspects of the design process can lead to the corrosion of the iron and steel components – a costly problem.

Sheet metal, often used to cover buildings in such processes, is metal formed by an industrial process into thin, flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed with sheet metal, including bikes, lampshades, kitchen utensils, car and aeroplane bodies and all manner of industrial / architectural items. The thickness of sheet metal is commonly specified by a traditional, non-linear measure known as its gauge; the larger the gauge number, the thinner the metal. Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 8 gauge. There are many different metals that can be made into sheet metal, such as aluminium, brass, copper, steel, tin, nickel and titanium, with silver, gold and platinum retaining their importance for decorative uses. Historically, an important use of sheet metal was in plate armour worn by cavalry, and sheet metal continues to have many ornamental uses, including in horse tack. Sheet metal workers are also known as ‘tin bashers’ (or ‘tin knockers’), a name derived from the hammering of panel seams when installing tin roofs.

There are many different forming processes for this type of metal, including ‘bending’ (a manufacturing process that produces a V-shape, U-shape, or channel shape along a straight axis in ductile materials), ‘decambering’ (a process of removing camber, or horizontal bend, from strip shaped materials), ‘spinning’ (where a disc or tube of metal is rotated at high speed and formed into an axially symmetric part) and ‘hydroforming.’ This latter technique is one of the most commonly used industrial methods; a cost-effective method of shaping metals into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong pieces. One of the largest applications of hydroforming is in the automotive industry, which makes use of the complex shapes possible, to produce stronger, lighter, and more rigid body-work, especially with regards to the high-end sports car industry.

One of the most important, and widely incorporating roles in metalwork, comes with the welding of all this steel, iron and sheet metal together. ‘Welders’ have a range of options to accomplish such welds, including forge welding (where the metals are heated to an intense yellow or white colour) or more modern methods such as arc welding (which uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point). Any foreign material in the weld, such as the oxides or ‘scale’ that typically form in the fire, can weaken it and potentially cause it to fail. Thus the mating surfaces to be joined must be kept clean. To this end a welder will make sure the fire is a reducing fire: a fire where at the heart there is a great deal of heat and very little oxygen. The expert will also carefully shape the mating faces so that as they are brought together foreign material is squeezed out as the metal is joined. Without the proper precautions, welding and metalwork more generally can be a dangerous and unhealthy practice, and therefore only the most skilled practitioners are usually employed.

As is evident from this incredibly brief introduction, metalwork, and metalworkers more broadly, have been, and still are – integral to society as we know it. Most of our modern buildings are constructed using metal. The boats, aeroplanes, ships, trains and bikes that we travel on are constructed via metalwork, and mining, metal forming and welding have provided jobs for thousands of workers. It is a tough, often dangerous, but incredibly important field. We hope the reader enjoys this book.

TO

SIR ERNEST GEORGE, A.R.A.,

GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED

BY

THE AUTHOR.

Preface

THE necessity for an historical account of the English Ironwork of the Renaissance has so long been apparent to all interested in art and the history of art in this country, that no apology for this volume is needed.

For nearly two centuries, including the whole period of the Early Renaissance, the art of Ironwork in England lay practically dormant, but with the accession of William and Mary the craft experienced an extraordinary development, which continued to the middle of the eighteenth century. The achievements of this short period form one of the most brilliant phases in the history of English craftsmanship, though many of the best examples are comparatively unknown.

In the present volume an attempt has been made for the first time to discriminate the works of the highly skilled and native craftsmen who produced the finest works in iron the country possesses, and to whom collectively is due the development of a style which we may justly claim as national. It defines the peculiarities by which their several works may be distinguished; while the names of at least the pioneers of the revival of an industry that had too long been neglected are recorded and rescued from oblivion.

The intention of writing a history of the subject in one form or another had been in my mind for many years, and when I was definitely asked by Messrs. Batsford to undertake the task I gladly accepted it and at once set seriously to work upon it. During the course of many years’ practical work and study I had accumulated a great store of material in the shape of illustrations of ironwork, notes, etc., and these proved exceedingly valuable as a source from which to draw examples, and as an aid to their classification. I must here also mention my indebtedness to the late Mr. John Norton, who had in the seventies spent much of his leisure in sketching the old iron gates in and around London and elsewhere, which were at that time little appreciated and rapidly disappearing. Mr. Norton generously allowed me to trace these sketches and add them to my collection, and they have proved most valuable both in noting those that no longer exist, and in describing and classifying the examples that remain. Mr. Horace Dan, an architect whose photographic work is now known to many, had taken photographs of interesting examples of gates in London and the Home Counties, and he continued this work, so that many of the illustrations in the book are the result of his enthusiastic labours. As the book progressed other photographs and drawings of examples of importance were obtained from various parts of England, and through these much information of exceptional interest and value regarding the life and work of hitherto unknown craftsmen came to light. The book has grown continuously during the intervals of a busy career in the five years that have been devoted to it. Messrs. Batsford have spared neither time nor money in actively assisting the discovery of facts and documents in order to make the work, as far as it goes, complete and exhaustive, so much so that I regard them as joint authors.

The loss or disappearance of very many interesting examples, and the peculiar dangers to which the work is liable through atmospheric influence has disposed me to give detailed descriptions of those that remain, which may in many cases appear needlessly tedious and technical.

Preference has been given to exterior examples, as more accessible, and the most liable to damage and decay.

Though the limits of the book have made it impossible to deal with every example of importance, sufficient of each type and period have been included, and the handicraft of every known smith is so fully illustrated and described, that it should become possible not only to recognise their individual work, but to date approximately any examples that may come under the reader’s notice.

In conclusion, it only remains to express my gratitude to Mr. H. Myddleton of Chirk Castle, Mr. John E. Pritchard of Bristol, Mr. J. R. Wardale, Mr. Beck of Sandringham, Mr. S. W. Bickell of Dulwich College, Mr. E. E. Bland of Kirkleatham, and Sir G. J. Armitage of Kirklees Park, Mr. R. Phené Spiers, Mr. J. Berkeley Cubay, Mr. Stead Mills of Leicester, the Duchess of Rutland, the Marquis of Hertford, Lord Northesk, Lord Harrington, Earl Bathurst, Lord Harrowby, and Sir Henry Bedingfield, to all of whom I am indebted for material information.

To Mr. Walter Spiers, curator of the Soane Museum, I am specially indebted for unvarying kindness and assistance.

In addition to Mr. Horace Dan, the following have contributed photographs: Mr. W. Galsworthy Davie, Mr. C. B. Keene of Derby, Mr. Hope Jones those of Emral, and Mr. J. Simpson those of Leeswood and Eaton. Many architects and draughtsmen have kindly lent their work for illustration, among whom are Mr. W.Niven, F.S.A, Mr. Harold Falkener, Mr. E. Guy Dawber, Mr. A. E. Martin, Mr. H. P. G. Maule, Mr. A. H. Hind, Mr. M. S. Adams, Mr. Heaton Comyn, Messrs. Brewill & Baily, Mr. F. Lishman, Mr. G. J. Poston, Mr. Joseph Seddon, Mr. F. E. Collington, and Mr. T. Garratt. To Mr. Victor Ames I am indebted for photographs and drawings of several of the gates in Norfolk and elsewhere. The proprietors of Country Life have generously supplied electros of several most interesting subjects. Mr. Percy Lovell, of the London Survey Committee, has lent figures 91–92, Mr. Garraway Rice the illustration of the monogram of Huntington Shaw, and Colonel Hart figure 2, while the Bodleian authorities have permitted the reproduction of the drawing of Hamstead Marshall.

J. STARKIE GARDNER.

RIVERHOLME,

MAIDENHEAD COURT,

BERKS.

August, 1911.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

MEDIAEVAL IRONWORK

THE EVOLUTION OF GATES

MEDIAEVAL GATES

RENAISSANCE GATES

Forecourt and Garden Gates

The Garden

THE WORK OF JEAN TIJOU, 1690–1710

THE SCHOOL OF SMITHS AFTER TIJOU

Robert Bakewell, 1707–30

The Brothers Roberts, 1719–30

William Edney, 1710–40

THE ENGLISH SCHOOL OF SMITHS

The work of Thomas Robinson, 1697–1720

The work of Warren, 1700–20

Work by George Buncker, 1720–30

FORECOURT SCREENS

THE LANDSCAPE GARDENER

THE INFLUENCE OE ARCHITECTS

GATES BY UNDISCOVERED SMITHS

Dated Gates

London Gates

COUNTRY GATES

South-Eastern Counties

Counties West from London

South-Western Counties

The Midland Counties

West Midland Counties

Counties immediately North of London

The Eastern Counties

The Northern Counties

Scotland

Wales

RAILINGS, BALUSTRADES, BALCONIES, STAIR-RAMPS AND GRILLES

RAILINGS

BALUSTRADES

BALCONIES

STAIR-RAMPS

GRILLES

LAMPHOLDERS, BRACKETS, SIGNS AND VANES

LAMPHOLDERS AND BRACKETS

DOORWAY BRACKETS

INN SIGNS

VANES

LIST OF SMITHS AND DESIGNERS

GENERAL INDEX TO THE TEXT

BRIEF SUBJECT LIST OF EXAMPLES ILLUSTRATED

NOTE.—It is obviously impossible to index fully or adequately in this list such general subjects as Gates, Railings, etc., examples of which occur in almost every illustration. The list deals mainly with accessories and details, and even of these examples beyond those mentioned in this list will often be found on the plates of Gates, etc., e.g. there are ornamental panels on every screen illustration.

Roman figures refer to plates, ordinary numbers to the figure numbers of text illustrations, which are not referred to under their page references.

ARMORIAL BEARINGS AND CRESTS

TOPOGRAPHICAL LIST OF EXAMPLES ILLUSTRATED

Plates are referred to in Roman numerals; text illustrations in ordinary figures under their illustration numbers, not their page references.

Note.—All references to Suburban districts will be found under London.

References to names of Smiths, Architects, etc., will be found in a list at the end of the book.

Introduction

THE want of any historical account of artistic ironworking in England has long been felt, and it. is this the present volume is intended in part to supply. It deals chiefly with one notable period of the art, the dramatically sudden revival accompanying the accession of William and Mary. The possession of richly wrought ironwork at once became the fashion and remained so throughout the reign of Queen Anne. Following the example set by Hampton Court, every important seat or mansion became adorned with magnificent forecourt and garden gates, screens and balustrades, gaily painted in blue and green and gilded, and rivalling the glories then being produced for Louis XIV across the water. Magnificent specimens even now survive in almost every county, notwithstanding ravages of time and the havoc of changing fashions. Yet though these are talked about and sketched and photographed, neither their relative rarity or dates, nor the names and characteristics of the artists who produced them are known. The singularly rapid development of the art and splendid achievements of our smiths at that time are matters of which any other country would be justly proud, but here, in the greatest iron-producing centre of history, our knowledge of them has been as limited as of sun spots. Even our educational authorities have allowed to be set up on the façade of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and to stand for