Ornamental ironwork demands specific specialist skills, which are hard for the practitioner to gain. These skills deserve recognition and are distinct from those required to work other metals such as lead or copper. Ironwork is however one species of conservation for which there is at present no requirement for conservator/restorers to be formally qualified.
There are a great many examples of historic wrought ironwork in Britain. Many of them exhibit a mastery of design and superb craftsmanship in their execution by the blacksmith and in fact are accepted as works of art of national importance. It therefore seems strange that there is no mechanism to ensure that when work has to be done, the people who do it are qualified in the skills of the smith.
Developing & Promoting Good Practice
National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG) is dedicated to the safeguarding and preservation of wrought ironwork through promoting high standards of workmanship, conservation and repair by working towards the development and creation of:
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GUIDELINES on the specification of restoration work
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ACCREDITATION for blacksmith conservator/restorers
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RESOURCE CENTRE for ironwork information
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COURSES studying historic ironwork
Many experienced working smiths will have been offered restoration work on precious ancient ironwork. They become familiar with the damage unskilled hands can do. For example: in 1980 part of the Golden Gates at Chatsworth had to be restored after vehicle damage. The ironwork was nearly three hundred years old. Every joint had been electrically welded in recent years and the vast majority of the work was in putting this right, rather than repairing the weathering of three centuries and vehicle damage.
The Photo Gallery examples demonstrate the pressing need to guarantee that the practitioner is master of the craft before being recruited to work on listed ironwork. The scrollwork from a Grade II gate was poorly restored in 2001, necessitating the need for it to be done again in 2009. This time it was restored faithfully to the original style and quality of workmanship. The photographs of the original restoration shows: the lack of care in shaping components; the badly formed and rusted-through leaves; and the inappropriate use of electric arc welding.
In other conservation disciplines practitioners are expected to prove themselves by achieving some kind of accreditation. The field of heritage ironwork deserves no less.
NHIG has been set up in the hope that it can become a focal point for the establishment of - and in time the enforcement of - a set of standards which would be widely accepted by practitioners, owners and those who fund conservation/restoration work.
Who we are
The National Heritage Ironwork Group consists of blacksmiths, training providers, conservator/restorers, conservation architects, metalwork consultants & commissioning bodies who recognise the need to improve the standards of the restoration/conservation of ornamental ironwork. Together our collective expertise is used to achieve our aims in discussion, formalisation, lobbying and distribution of information.
If you want more information or have any comments or views to express in the area of historic ironwork, please contact NHIG's secretary Bethan Griffiths, using the form below.
Our Services
Photo Gallery
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Poor Quality Restoration Work
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High Quality Restoration Work
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Close up - poor quality restoration work
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Close up - high quality resoration
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Close up - badly formed water leaves
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Close up - authentic water leaves
