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Crafted by Hand, Designed for You
16 October 2018
When working with period homes, you must be able to handle the occasional obstacle. Quirky building features and tougher planning requirements are common issues. We had to deal with both on a recent external staircase and balcony order which included a decorative metal side-screen. Restoration The staircase was manufactured for a 19th Century villa […]
17 September 2018
Fine ironwork has long been a defining part of the London street scene. Many homeowners are now reinstating the beautiful railings and balusters outside their properties, which were removed as materials for the war effort. Earlier this year, we helped one family to do just that on their home in South West London. The five […]
30 August 2018
A staircase is rarely just a staircase. As you climb or descend you are taken somewhere new or, on rare occasions, somewhere extremely old. The Etches Collection: Museum of Jurassic Marine Life sits in the Dorset village of Kimmeridge, along England’s Jurassic Coast. It is home to a unique collection of some 2,500 fossil specimens, […]
30 July 2018
Here in the UK, metal railings, gates and balusters outside homes and other public buildings are almost always black. Scratch below the surface, however, and you’ll find most of this metalwork has a much more colourful past. Deep Blue Mid-century metalwork was typically painted to help protect it from corrosion. By the 1600s, the […]
18 June 2018
It’s no exaggeration to say that a balustrade can make or break a staircase. Achieving a premium finish is not only about the quality of the styling and materials, but also the precision of the design and manufacture. There are few better examples of this than a project we recently completed in London where we […]
07 June 2018
When you start looking to purchase a staircase, you’ll quickly become aware of a whole new world of weird and wonderful terms. To help you to make sense of it all, we’ve collected the most common terminology together in this glossary. Types of Staircase Straight — The most common type of stairs. They rise in […]
25 April 2018
Small metal studs are a common sight on the tops of walls surrounding many older British properties and public spaces. These often-unnoticed features are all that is left of the original gates and railings. In this blog, we’ll take a look at why these railings were removed, and what you need to do if […]
12 March 2018
The landscape around our workshop in the High Peak is well known for its gritstone hills, open moors and farmland. Despite its undoubted beauty, visitors these days might be surprised to know that this whole area was once a Royal Forest. Indeed, the name of our village – Chapel-en-le-Firth – roughly translates to “chapel in […]
05 February 2018
External metal staircases offer a practical solution for building owners looking to provide a safe means of evacuation. Usually customers who need these functional pieces tend to opt for simple designs such as our LCC or Diamond staircases. On a recent refurbishment, however, we had the opportunity to create a grander set of fire escape […]
25 January 2018
Trying to fit a staircase within a tight space can feel a bit like a game of Tetris — pick the wrong shape or angle and you can end up with a good deal of wasted space. Fortunately, British Spirals & Castings are here to help. Each of our staircases is custom designed and manufactured […]
02 January 2018
Colour is important, particularly in your home or business. As well as informing the overall aesthetic, it also has the power to influence how you feel in a particular space. Which is why, when decorating, we spend time looking over colour charts, painting little test patches on the walls to make sure the colour looks […]
21 December 2017
The whole team here at British Spirals & Castings would like to wish everyone a happy and enjoyable Christmas and New Year. During the festive period, the business will be closed from 12pm on Friday, 22nd December and will reopen Tuesday, 2nd January 2018. Voicemails and emails will be checked periodically so urgent messages will be […]
11 November 2017
Here at British Spirals & Castings, we always aim to deliver products which meet our client’s exact requirements. From time-to-time this means partnering with carefully chosen manufacturers and suppliers who can deliver specialist complimentary elements. This was the case in a recent project in London where were asked to supply and fit cast iron balustrade […]
04 October 2017
Looking for access options for tight spaces can really send you ‘round the twist’, but square spiral staircases could be exactly the solution you’re hoping for. Square spiral staircases, also known as squarial stairs, are the perfect choice for small areas or rooms when you want to maximise the floor space by avoiding a dominating […]
27 September 2017
When you begin to outgrow your current home, there are two options: you can either move to a new larger home or increase the amount of liveable space you already own. As many of us know, moving house is often a stressful, expensive and lengthy process. Likewise, constructing an extension can cause considerable and costly […]
07 September 2017
How many times have you reached the end of a summer holiday and wished you could just forget about coming home? One of our Victorian staircase is living out that dream in the Mediterranean sun after it was installed externally on a renovated village house which is one of three individual charming dwellings available for […]
17 August 2017
It can be difficult getting the balance right between creating a welcoming home and ensuring safety, but garden wall railings can offer a functional and stylish solution. Our home is our safe space. It offers us the freedom to express who we are and what we like, whilst also providing us with an enclosed environment […]
27 July 2017
One of the great joys of life here at British Spirals & Castings is that you never know which near or far flung location the next order may come from. Every year we ship staircases, railings and balconies to clients right across the globe. Recently we had a chance to revisit a Victorian spiral staircase […]
20 July 2017
Turned staircases are masters of disguise. With their right-angled forms, they can conceal upper floors from view and fit into spaces you would never imagine. They also operate under a variety of different aliases, including: winder staircases, kited staircases, L shaped stairs and even ‘dog-legged’ stairs. If you’ve spent time looking for a new staircase, […]
28 June 2017
Transforming an existing property into the home of your dreams takes vision, ingenuity and determination. Homeowner Annette Andrews and her project team showed these qualities in abundance with a spectacular refurbishment centred around a stunning twisted column oak spiral staircase from British Spirals & Castings. The extensive work at the Billericay home saw the internal […]
26 May 2017
In Britain, we’re lucky to have millions of period homes. Whilst these properties are full of character and history, the spaces inside often aren’t designed for modern, open living. One way to make better use of your home is by moving or re-orienting your staircase. With some careful planning, this change of location can make […]
02 May 2017
Today is a very special occasion for British Spirals & Castings, marking exactly 25 years under the ownership of the Harding family! We remain a proud family business. Richard and Billie, who started the business from a shed all those years ago, have been joined on the board by their children, Antonia and Ben Harding. […]
25 April 2017
Here at British Spirals & Castings, we’ve been manufacturing replacement railings for period properties for many years and offer a range of designs on our cast iron store. We classify these historical railing designs into three categories: Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian. But what is the difference between these styles? A Brief History of Iron Railings […]
17 March 2017
One of the first questions customers ask us when they’re looking to buy a balcony is “will I need planning permission?” The simple answer for UK property owners is: yes, in most cases. Balconies, verandas and other platforms higher than 300 mm are denied Permitted Development status (allowing work without planning permission) under the relevant regulations: […]
14 February 2017
It’s Valentine’s week, and amongst all of the weird and wonderful gifts on offer, you can pretty much guarantee that there will be at least a few references to the famous meeting of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers at Juliet’s balcony. In addition to providing the location for this seminal romantic moment in literature, the term ‘Juliet […]
09 February 2017
British Spirals & Castings have helped to turn back the clock and restore the pre-war prestige of a Victorian property in London. The home initially benefited from large French windows which led out onto a balcony, evoking images of the original home owners in large feathered hats and tailcoats taking tea whilst admiring the garden […]
02 February 2017
Picking a staircase can be a tricky business, particularly if you’re building from scratch or trying to provide access in a constricted space. With so many options available, you’ll want to take some time to consider which staircase will best meet your needs, and work with the available space. For instance, if you have a […]
12 January 2017
It is not often that I write looking back on the past but I feel that 2016 proved to be an exceptional year for British Spirals & Castings, not only in terms of normal business requirements, but in the development of the team and the foundations that we have concreted for us to build and […]
22 December 2016
We would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the whole team here at British Spirals & Castings. We will be closing for the Christmas break on Thursday 22nd December 2016 and will reopen on Tuesday 3rd January 2017. Voicemails and emails will be checked periodically so urgent […]
09 December 2016
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a few handcrafted decorations. One of our festive favourites are five-point origami stars. They can be strung together to hang between balusters, blu-tacked to doors or used to fill decorative bowls. If you fancy making some of your own, you’re in luck! We’ve made a quick how-to guide for […]