Cast Iron Radiators, Recapturing Yesterday, Today - Members News - Blogs

Cast Iron Radiators, Recapturing Yesterday, Today

Posted by Paladin Radiators on 14th April 2011.

It is not so many years ago that the cast iron radiator was ripped from the hearts of our homes and replaced with its dull and boring modern counterpart in the steel variety, cast iron radiators were considered dinosaurs or antiques and only fit for the scrap heap. As a result many of the beautiful original and traditional cast iron radiators were destroyed and along with them we very nearly lost a piece of our heritage forever. And of course as they were taken out and sold off for their scrap value it made the surviving ones even more rare and valuable and they have continued to become increasingly more expensive and only available to the privileged few. Here at Paladin Radiators we have continued working to provide beautiful and faithfully reproduced cast iron radiators using original old cast iron radiators as the pattern to bring to the market authentic and affordable pieces of functional art.

Cast iron radiators, their development and mass production was very much an American phenomenon with some of the earliest patents dating back as far as 1841. And it was one gentleman in particular that brought that phenomenon to England, Mr Joseph Nason who had established his Nason Manufacturing Company in America in 1841 came to England in order to work with the inventor of the Perkins Hot Water Heating system a Mr A M Perkins. By 1862 after directing many foundries in London and elsewhere in the UK they along with Robert Briggs patented their first steam radiator. And it was shortly after this in 1872 that Nelson H Bundy invented a cast iron radiator design that would play a very important role in the development and evolution of the cast iron radiator as we know it today, the Bundy Loop.

Up until 1892 there were various American manufacturers producing a variety of designs, then three of the principle manufacturers merged to form the American Radiator Company who also manufactured in Hull in the early 1900’s where they manufactured radiators under The Ideal brand name. An interesting passage from The American Radiator Company’s sales catalogue dated 1897 reads “ the fact that our radiators are used in an increasing majority of the modern palatial office and public buildings and the better class of residences in this country inviting the most critical attention of the best heating engineers to every feature of their construction, is the highest possible endorsement of the excellence and superiority of our goods and eloquently testifies to the splendid results afforded by them”. The Paladin St Paul radiator is a faithful copy of the original by the American Radiator Company and in their catalogue of 1897 it is described as “a work of art in iron”.

Countless stunning and beautiful designs followed and the popularity of the cast iron radiator remained until the early 1950′s when this popularity began to wane for the thinner less bulky modern steel radiator counterparts, or as we call them here at Paladin “paint it and disguise it”. Now however as you can see this weekend at the show, cast iron radiators are making a major comeback and are becoming a more popular and desirable addition to both the modern and period home. Here at Paladin Radiators we are proud to be a manufacturer that is resurrecting this fine old iron form of art and we have taken a great deal of time to ensure that our cast iron radiators are reproduced faithfully to their original old counterparts bringing back to life the beauty and form of the old cast iron radiator.

Paladin Radiators is a family run business specialising in the manufacture of cast iron radiators. Over the past 7 years Paladin have pioneered the market and brought forward new designs and choice for all styles and ages of home as well as bringing down the market price for this type of product making cast iron radiators an affordable option against conventional radiator prices.

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