Street Furniture
Street furniture is a large part of what a conservation area looks like at eye level, and it is where standard highway products most often undermine an otherwise carefully managed street scene. This category covers suppliers and makers of heritage-pattern bollards, railings, benches, lamp columns, litter bins, tree grilles, signage and finger posts, usually in cast iron, and the restoration of surviving historic items. Reusing and repairing what is already there is generally both cheaper and better than replacing it with a reproduction of something similar.
What this category covers
- Cast iron bollards, railings, benches and litter bins
- Heritage lamp columns, lanterns and brackets
- Finger posts, street nameplates and signage
- Tree grilles, guards and public realm ironwork
- Restoration and recasting of existing historic street furniture
British Sundial Society
The British Sundial Society takes an interest in every aspect of telling ...
CIS Street Furniture Ltd
CIS Street Furniture manufactures and supplies bollards, railings, seating, litter bins, planters, ...
Street furniture in a conservation area
Repair what survives before ordering new. Existing cast iron bollards, railings and columns can almost always be shot blasted, repaired, recoated and reinstated, and they are the genuine article rather than an approximation of it.
Match the local pattern. Many towns had their own bollard, railing and lamp patterns, and where an original survives it can be copied from a mould. A generic heritage catalogue item alongside a genuine local pattern is immediately obvious.
Reduce the quantity. Conservation area appearance is damaged as much by the accumulation of posts, signs, bins and guard rails as by their design. Removing redundant items is often the single most effective improvement available.
Get the finish and the fixing right. Cast iron needs proper preparation and a maintainable paint system, and items set into stone paving should be fixed in a way that does not split it. Both are routinely got wrong on standard installations.
Questions to ask
Can original cast iron street furniture be restored?
Usually. Shot blasting, welding or bronze repair, recoating and reinstatement return most items to service, and missing components can be recast from a surviving example. Restoration is generally cheaper than good-quality replacement as well as more appropriate.
Do heritage patterns have to meet modern standards?
Items on the highway have to satisfy the relevant requirements for their function, and lighting columns in particular have structural and electrical standards. Established heritage suppliers produce patterns designed to meet these while retaining the historic appearance.
Is permission needed to change street furniture in a conservation area?
Highway works are generally the responsibility of the highway authority, and items attached to listed buildings or within their curtilage need consent. Conservation area appraisals and public realm strategies often set out what is expected locally.
All 2 businesses listed under Street Furniture
- British Sundial Society Sussex
- CIS Street Furniture Ltd West Sussex
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.