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Cool story: In 1817, this guy Walter McFarlane was born in Torrance, near Glasgow, Scotland. He worked for a jeweller, then apprenticed with a blacksmith. He then bought over Saracen Foundry, which is responsible for a STAGGERING amount of ornamental ironwork around the world https://t.co/5u6Iab1t51
Theatro José de Alencar, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil – 1910 Lalbagh Pavilion, Bangalore, India – 1889 Lau Pa Sat, Singapore – 1894 A collotype lithograph, entry to the 1862 World Exhibition in London https://t.co/dbeymoxnoH
Check out the work they put into making a fountain. Tough to find good photos. This one is in Alexandra Park, Glasgow, built in 1901. 4 maidens representing literature, science, art and commerce https://t.co/pthIAo3Mvv
I'm trying to find good pictures – look at the detail! First pic – Kibble Palace, Glasgow Botanic Gardens Next 3 pics: fountain in March, Cambridgeshire, commemorating the Coronation of King George V in 1911 https://t.co/k407F6WCQd
Ornamental ironwork in the Peranakan Mansion in Penang – this was the tweet that got me curious to go looking up the rest of it. The swirls remind me of the gate on my childhood home. See previous tweets in thread for more details https://t.co/N7pgyevpqS
Another cool drinking fountain, this one in Renton, Westdunbartonshire, Scotland: Presented / By / Alex. Wylie Of Cordale / To Local Authority / Of Cardross Parish / To Commemorate / The Opening Of / Renton Water Works / 1886 https://t.co/Gjswtw2TSf
More pictures of Lau Pa Sat, courtesy of George Landow of @victorianweb. Lots of interesting jumping-off points here, I'm particularly interested in looking up Singaporean architecture through a Victorian lens https://t.co/P8YbLNuZcF https://t.co/o86YgY3MIM
The ironwork at Raffles Hotel was originally by Saracen – and they were recently-ish remade (replicated by Robinson Iron, who seem like a really great company – last image is such a fun read (you can get it in text by following the link) https://t.co/29b7XyB5tK https://t.co/CpUVjyDfHt
Saracen Foundry also made some pretty urinals. "The Temple of Relief" I... want to pee in one https://t.co/WWxujicJPn
It really looks like they made *everything* – I'm really enjoying the aesthetics, how classy and stylish – everything in its right place, in the right proportions https://t.co/WRlnn3rD6I
Feels like you could build an entire fantasy universe out of Walter McFarlane's creations and imagination. That last picture is of a "ceiling rose" from a Welsh chapel, 6 feet wide and very heavy. You can buy it yourself for ~US$3,500 https://t.co/laKTTorvMX https://t.co/Mf0scIDlNO
I might be projecting here, but I feel like the fact that he worked with a jeweller before becoming a blacksmith and a foundryman really shows through https://t.co/IdrtWPvnzt
A tram shelter at Eglinton Toll, Glasgow designs for stairs at a departmental store, 1882 a range of electric light pillars a range of railing options (I'm half-tempted now to buy a copy of one of their old catalogues, ie where these pictures must be from) https://t.co/hprXNoLCGE
I see "Chennai Eggmore Railway Station" on several lists of things they might've made – if so, are these...? Seems plausible, but I haven't found definitive proof https://t.co/bHsBJXF9yG
The gates of Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset, England – made in 1895 Wilkinson Memorial Drinking Fountain, the oldest memorial fountain in Melbourne, in honor of a local Anglican Reverend who had died The Elder Park Rotunda, Adelaide, Australia Manaus library stairs, Brazil https://t.co/5OcFRMHgmm
So. There's a bit of a mystery here. If McFarlane & Co was so stylish and so prolific, the ornamental-ironmonger to the stars, why aren't they more popular, well known? Well... seems like they went out of business, basically. It's rather sad, but such is life. https://t.co/BNtnS32o9m
Curious about this again. Can anybody identify the specific motifs or patterns in this cast iron gate? sorry I know it's pixellated it's from an old google street view pic. where would I go / what should I search to try and find these specific patterns https://t.co/G9aMxvfKmZ
several notable features 1. the vertical bars 2. the "spikes", slightly fleur-de-lis-y 3. the "bulge" or "curve" in the middle; some gates are just "square" 4. the "swirls" in the border beneath the "spikes" i'm guessing there's a proper language/terminology for these https://t.co/r8LtG6jf3I
uh oh, I am in danger of buying a dozen books https://t.co/jP0W6D4V1A
I feel like ornamental ironwork is due for a psychedelic revival [alex_jones_but_no_one_wants_to_do_it.wav] https://t.co/tBzy7UGUb6
