Carl S Liver

The Romance of Cast Iron Radiators

With the growing popularity of underfloor heating in many new build or newly renovated homes, the radiator which was once ubiquitous is now a thing of the past. The benefits of underfloor heating means one wall of each room is not taken up with a radiator, allowing for greater versatility when it comes to arranging your furniture. Also, underfloor heating heats a room from the floor up as opposed to the top down as radiators did. However one thing that underfloor heating cannot compete with is the aesthetics of traditional cast iron radiators.

These beasts were common in schools, church halls and other public buildings and often ran at very high temperatures. At the time they seemed old fashioned and outdated in comparison with the more modern radiator found in the home, but these days, the old fashioned cast iron radiators are becoming highly desirable. Although they haven't been manufactured in the UK since the 1970's, they can be sourced from architectural salvage companies or newly bought in from abroad.

When sourced from an architectural salvage company, chances are you'll find a good selection of period pieces from the Victorian era, the 1920's and 1930's as well as from the post war era. Cast iron radiators can be highly decorated if they've been rescued from an old train station or large Victorian home. When sourced from more moderate buildings such as schools or modest Georgian houses the designs are relatively sedate, either way, they evoke and echo the aesthetics from days gone by and are especially suited to renovated period homes and barn conversions.

There are lots of different designs to choose from such as the squat 'bench' style radiator. You may remember these from School if you're old enough as they were often installed in the corridors. The taller two, three, four and even six panel radiator, when viewed in profile are also easily sourced and can be painted any colour you like. Traditionally, they were painted gold, silver, black or a gun metal colour, but these days you can have any colour you like or even get them painted in a rainbow effect with east profile having a different colour.

Whatever style of cast iron radiator you choose, your friends and family will definitely comment on them and more than likely will reminisce about a time which such radiators were common place. This is the charm of these traditional radiators, they hark back to a more romantic period and deliver some of that romance right in to your living room. 

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