Ironwork restoration & conservation consultancy reports

Drawing for the restoration of the Old Scotland Yard gates, London, by The Ironwork Studio. Following our consultancy report, the gates were carefully restored.

Detail of Old Scotland Yard gates after repair/conservation work led by The Ironwork Studio's consultancy report

Consultancy reports are a fundamental requirement for good conservation practice, as well as a useful tool in other contexts. Ours are bespoke to the individual circumstances and purpose they are commissioned for, rather than being template driven. We create reports that are easily interpreted, updatable and contain complete, appropriate information on with which to make informed decisions.

Our consultancy work includes:

Ironwork Assessment Reports (also known as ‘Ironwork Condition Reports’ or ‘Ironwork Condition Surveys’) – Provide an assessment of physical evidence and significance. They give an understanding of, for example, age, technological and historical value, and aesthetic or social values. We track previous repairs and report on current condition and construction.
Ironwork Repair and Restoration Reports – Our reports provide clarity of objectives, conservation approach, options available and recommendations for repair and restoration. Decision making about repairs is not necessarily straightforward; our reports help clients make informed choices on how best to conserve or restore their ironwork.
New design in heritage settings assessment reports – Evidence an understanding of the location, its heritage significance and how this, as well as other potential constraints relate to the new design proposal. They provide the foundation on which informed evaluations and decisions can be made regarding any new design proposal. For example, how does the design respect the significance, respond to the setting and contribute a positive addition?

See also our article on ‘Fitting the new to the old: designing new ironwork for heritage settings’ (a reprint from The Building Conservation Directory 2021 p105). This is a synopsis of our lecture presented at the inaugural conference of the National Heritage Ironwork Group held at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Testimonial

“I approached The Ironwork Studio for a report on our eighteenth century gateway due to their historical, aesthetic and technical skills and found their approach enthusiastic and professional. The report included a great deal of historical evidence, which up until this report was not always straight forward to interpret, as well as a very thorough examination of the remaining ironwork. I particularly liked the detail in the report, and the clarity with which it has been presented. The result was sufficiently persuasive that Historic England agreed that the Listing of the gates should be raised from Grade II to Grade II*. I am grateful to The Ironwork Studio for this result as it makes restoration of the gates a more likely possibility. The downside of a report such as this, is it highlights the enormous amount of work that needs to be done!”

– Richard Lawson, private client