Wrought iron-what is it and why use it to decorate your kitchen? You may usually think of wrought iron when you picture a tall, ominous gate in front of a castle. Or, you remember that romantic bench in the park. You may have seen heavy, black metal pot racks in an authentic Italian restaurant. Whether commercial or household, wrought iron has a long history and many uses today.

Wrought iron is a tough, malleable, ductile and easily welded iron alloy. The term was used throughout western history, most specifically for finished iron goods, as produced by a blacksmith. This type of iron use dates back to Roman times and was very popular in Europe during the reign of William and Mary. It could stand up to use in battle as well as everyday use in shops and homes. It was preferred over cast iron as cast iron was very brittle.

In the 1800s, wrought iron was the most common form of malleable, or bendable, iron. It was typically used to make swords, cutlery, and other blades. Other popular uses were: rivets, nails, wire, chains, nuts, bolts, horseshoes, handrails, racks and ornamental ironwork. This strong metal was very popular in the 1860s for making iron clad warships and railways. The Eiffel tower is actually made from a form of wrought iron called puddle-iron!

Cast iron, carbon, or mild steel, and cheaper steel became more available in the 1900’s and caused a gradual decline in wrought iron manufacture. The last production works in Great Britain closed in 1974. True production of this desirable metal was, unfortunately, labor intensive and expensive. Some of the production machinery originally used in Great Britain is now preserved in the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, in Shropshire, England. It is still used commercially for beautiful restoration projects using recycled iron scrap.

Today, when you see garden furniture advertised as wrought iron, it may actually be made of mild steel. The description is still used because the pieces are wrought (or worked) by hand. This metal is used, today, to make home decor items such as Baker’s racks, wine racks, pot racks, etag