The strength of Victorian wrought iron

Throughout the nineteenth century, wrought iron was used as a major construction material, but by the beginning of the twentieth century, with the economic production of cheap steel fully established, wrought iron, as a major construction material, ceased to exist. A century on, there are a growing number of Victorian buildings in need of renovation, strengthening or repair. This paper considers various aspects of Victorian wrought iron, including re-examination of contemporary test data, in order to provide guidelines for today's engineers.