Ironwork
Suggestions For Future Use
Wrought ironwork can be used both in restored and new buildings.
In Crete, a land with a long architectural history, restoration is indispensable, both for buildings in historic town centres and for monuments such as fortresses, Venetian villas, churches, monasteries etc. Living examples of traditional architecture must be preserved for aesthetic, historical and financial reasons. These buildings give us the “feel” of their times, local history and culture; they are also the starting-point for new creations, while their well-made and interesting elements are pleasing to both local inhabitants and visitors. Their existence, however, also serves a deeper purpose: the inhabitants’ relationship to their town and its history, a relationship lost in the relentless destruction of older buildings across Greece.
Furthermore, practical issues such as housing can be solved through economical restoration and renovation.
Wrought-iron objects, from window and door fixtures to grilles and balcony railings, represent the construction needs and architectural styles of earlier times; it would therefore be pointless to propose their unconditional use today.
Hinges, thumb latches, locks and struts have been replaced on modern doors by more secure and handier fixtures. We do not suggest that they should be used in modern buildings, but propose that they be replicated as to size, shape and operation on restored doors and windows. The hardware should also be manufactured in the traditional way for best results.
Wrought-iron grilles and balcony railings, important examples of past architectural styles, should be used with great care.
Exact replicas of wrought-iron objects must be used for restored buildings in historic town centres and rural villages which are the subject of preservation orders. We believe that grilles and balcony railings produced by modern welding methods cannot replace traditional materials; the rivets and cross-pieces (dessies) are a vital part of the whole, and if they are missing the structure will be deficient.
It is important that all the proportions and sections be retained. A simple approximation is not good enough for restoration work.
In general, all the architectural elements forming part of our cultural heritage should be studied in order to teach, inspire and serve as a benchmark for new designs and structures. However, the mere copying of certain motifs, transferred to modern buildings on a different scale and using different manufacturing methods, not only fails to add local colour to towns and villages but produces a mishmash of styles that actively clashes with the surrounding scenery.
During the 1920s there was an architectural movement for a return to the sources, which also influenced the Modernist movement in Greece a little later. The aim of its chief exponents (A. Zahos, D. Pikiotis) was the search for, study and assimilation of popular architecture, which would provide the inspiration for new compositions.
We too believe that we have much to learn from the architectural elements and objects bequeathed to us by those simple craftsmen, the woodworkers and metalworkers of the past.
It is obvious that as soon as the attempt to reuse abandoned homes and restore ruined historical monuments – whether fortresses or Venetian villas – takes off, there will be an immediate demand for wrought-iron fixtures. We believe that it is therefore necessary that these should be made in the traditional way. Existing workshops must be preserved and new ones established specialising in the manufacture of these items. New blood must enter the ancient craft of the smith, so that young, trained artisans will be available to contribute to the restoration of old houses or monuments. They will also be able to work on new buildings for which the architects recommend wrought ironwork – whether traditional or modern in inspiration.
A few traditional smithies still survive in Cretan towns and villages, where craftsmen still toil long hours at the forge, hammering the red-hot iron. They make agricultural implements or building fixtures. The advent of modern technology is obvious even in workshops for the production of wrought-iron objects; it does not necessarily mean a reduction in quality. The hand-bellows ceaselessly worked by an apprentice have been replaced by their electric counterparts; the coals glow just as readily. Machines are even available to regulate air circulation, in order to control the fire precisely.
Organised units for the manufacture of prefabricated wrought-iron objects use electric hammers to work the metal.
In order to meet demand, traditional workshops are using more and more electrical machinery (drills, soldering irons etc.) in the manufacturing process. Many items are made by a mixture of traditional methods and new machinery. For example, the different parts of tools are worked separately and then soldered together to reduce costs.
The door ring (kerkeli) is one wrought-iron fixture that can be used on both old and modern buildings. We therefore compared the traditional manufacturing process to modern methods using electrical machinery. The latter result in a less satisfactory aesthetic result. The circumference is not filed; the rosette work and design is poorer; there is no stippling; the elaborate patterns with combinations of keyhole or “fingernail” designs are missing; there is no harmony or aesthetic balance. The difference is immediately obvious.
This is why we suggest that such items should be manufactured in the traditional way, retaining their proportions, even if they are a little more expensive. In order for these objects to truly “shine” they need the hands and soul of the craftsman, who transforms mere iron into works of art and inspiration.