Georgian Victorian Cast Iron Fireplace

About Georgian & Victorian Cast Iron Fireplaces

The Georgian period, including the Regency at its end, lasted from 1714 to 1820. It was a time of massive wealth creation for the middle and upper classes as the industrial revolution took hold, which resulted in some of Great Britain’s grandest and best known stately homes. The development of cast irons that could be cast at thinner and thinner sections successfully and the relative cheapness compared to marble or hand carved hard wood led to cast iron being used for fireplace designs from the grandest stately home downwards. Some of these designs, based on classic Greek mythology from architects such as Inigo Jones and William Kent were epic in scale and can be found in places such as Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. One use of cast iron, popular further down the social ladder, was to have it painted to resemble a much more expensive marble or hard wood.

The later 1700’s was the age of Robert Adam and his brother James who provided smaller, highly detailed designs, often in marble, that were copied by cast iron fireplace manufactures. The later Georgian period, more correctly known as the Regency, saw a simplification of fireplace design and the change from mythological and naturalistic scenes to classical linear and geometric patterns, a change which ideally suited cast iron. The Victorian period, which followed on from the Georgian and Regency periods, lasted from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria was on the throne for such a long time that it is impossible to look at it as one design period. Designs changed significantly and incorporated elements from the preceding Regency with the Arts and Crafts movement along with Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences. The massive increase in an affluent middle class and the resultant housing boom, coupled with better production methods for cast iron saw an increase in the use of cast iron for fireplaces as a mass market for cheap, decorative fireplaces emerged. Gone were the days from the preceding periods when fireplaces were individually designed and made to order. Call Durham Foundry on 0114 249 4977 to discuss your Cast Iron Fireplace project.

Georgian & Victorian Cast Iron Fireplaces Production

The Victorian era saw the birth of mass production, the period seeing the introduction of catalogues from which a design could be chosen from among hundreds. Improvements in metallurgy also meant that more intricate designs could be used and the resultant fireplaces were less prone to cracking. Up to the 1860’s designs were still heavily influenced by classical themes but as the century progressed, and movements such as Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts started to develop, designs began to change. Floral patterns were introduced along with sinuous and humanistic forms from designers such as Charles Rennie Macintosh. Mixing different materials together gave rise to the classic Victorian Cast Iron Tiled Insert. Many of these designs are still available and we produce a range of cast iron inserts to suit different period houses

At Durham Foundry we have been producing Georgian & Victorian design fireplaces and fireplace parts for over thirty years. We can supply castings from one off up to small to medium batch production using Alkali Phenolic resin bonded sands and our workforce of highly skilled moulders can work from complex loose pattern equipment, particularly where low volumes are required, whilst our moulding line is suited for batch production. Our long trading history, coupled with an investment programme that has enabled us to keep up with modern production methods and environmental legislation has meant that we have been involved with many cast iron fireplace projects and continue to be so.

All our Georgian & Victorian Cast Iron Fireplaces are produced to a current ISO material specification along with any further certification which a customer may require. As well as cast iron fireplaces for the architectural, restoration and decorative markets, our customer base also covers grey, ductile and alloyed irons for the engineering and structural sectors. Our diverse customer base has also given us experience in a wide range of applications for iron castings other than the fireplace market, including pumps and valves, forges, foundries and rolling mills, automotive and aerospace, a wide range of OEM’s, quarries and mines, railways and rolling stock, local authorities. We also have long term trading relationships with local pattern makers, machine shops and surface finishers which enable us to quote for the complete supply of the finished casting.

Georgian & Victorian Cast Iron Fireplaces Range

We have a range of fireplace designs that are specific to Durham Foundry and can supply individual fireplaces for the retail market or batch quantities for wholesale. We also have a large quantity of samples and designs so that we can often replace a missing grate or hood on an existing fireplace. We also renovate old fireplaces and can recommend skilled installers for fitting new or reconditioned fires with either a solid fuel or gas grate. All of our new fireplaces can be fitted with either.