Columns and Ornamental Column Elements

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The cast iron column - a sublime and uplifting architectural element

Artfully decorated columns as a design and statically effective building element have been known since ancient times.

The cast iron columns found their way into "modern" building architecture in the middle of the 19th century. They are still familiar from old railway station concourses, old industrial buildings and orangeries. In urban houses, they were often used to support balconies and porches. Cast iron columns were also often a design element of the entrance area of prestigious villas or shop fronts.

The capital -

The capital is the upper end of the column and often has an ornamental design. It significantly characterises the overall impression of the column. Column capitals have been around since ancient Egyptian times and therefore come in a wide variety of shapes.

Ornamental rings -

Ornamental rings, also known as shaft rings or whorls, are not a classic element of ancient architecture. They originate from Romanesque and Gothic architecture and were particularly popular in eclectic and historicist buildings at the turn of the 20th century. Even then, stylistic elements from different eras were combined.

The base element

- However, a column is only complete if it has a base. Its origins are seen in timber construction, where a stone slab was placed under the supporting beams to protect against ground moisture. Over the millennia, a great variety of forms has also developed here.

Decorated columns are a cultural asset that should never be lost! For the restoration of older buildings, we therefore have cast aluminium columns or individual ornamental column elements made of cast iron in our range.