Made in 1875 for the Great Vienna Exhibition, by the Coalbrookdales Company, these gates were made to impress.
The height of the Victorian baroque, their design is not to the taste of many, nor was it at the time, judging from contemporary accounts, but it certainly shows off the highly developed skills of the moulders of Coalbrookdale.
The construction of the gates is of cast iron components on a wrought iron frame, and there does not seem to have been any thought given to prevention of corrosion in the joints. The result is that these exceptional gates are in a very poor state, and are at present (2004) under restoration in our workshops. This will comprise the replication of many of the castings, lost or damaged beyond repair, and reassembly perhaps more carefully, with steps taken to exclude water from the joints.
