GateHouse Design and Forge works with wrought iron. Wrought means 'worked' with hammers on an anvil.

Wrought iron was the first type of iron produced and worked by blacksmiths. It is virtually elementally pure iron (Fe) that is heated in a furnace before being worked. Hammering iron removes much of the slag from the material and bonds the iron particles together.

The industrial revolution and it's associated construction activities, saw a new use for wrought iron discovered. Its high tensile strength - resistance to breaking when under tension - made it ideal to use for beams in large construction projects such as bridges and tall buildings.

When steel products were developed in the early 20th century the use of wrought iron for this purpose was largely abandoned as steel has superior performance to iron for construction applications. Despite this, wrought iron has become well known as a material used for decorative pieces. Examples of this can be seen in many 15th and 16th century Churches where fine wrought iron decoration produced by skilled artisans is often found. Today, gates, grilles, benches and similar items are often made from wrought iron as bespoke pieces.

This is what GateHouse Design and Forge do.