Site 20
375 Queen St

Loiter prevention device

Site 19
362 William St

Short panels in window at ground level. Seem to be devices to prevent people sitting on window ledge loitering.

Site 18
St James Old Cathedral, King St

Forged buttress to cast fence and gate

Site 17
8 Phoenix Lane

The property has undergone recent (10-15 years) renovation. Contemporary security grilles and juliets appear to have been installed at that time.

Site 16
355 Spencer St

There is initial ambiguity as to whether these pieces are forged, fabricated or cast. Certainly there are hand forged elements so possibly a combination of the three processes. Art Deco era ironwork moving away from forged to fabricated works.

Site 15
589 - 591 King St

Forged scrolls to bottom of cast gates

Site 14
65 Stanley St

Forged buttress to cast iron gate and fence

Site 13
473 King St

Forged fence buttress to cast iron fence and gate

Site 12
360 King St

Coach light above doorway

Site 11 54 Dudley St

Hand forged bracket,  possibly awning support

Site 10 40 Dudley St

Another example of a forged buttress to a cast iron gate and fence. Fish tail detail on either end of scroll.

Site 9 Hotel Spencer, 475 Spencer St

While not forged iron , this is an example of the move into fabricated works in the Art Deco period.   Geometric compositions in fabricated works were substantially cheaper to produce than forged organic arrangements.

Site 8
57 Jones Place

The window frames at this site appear mass produced from afar but on closer inspection seem to be site specific installations with swaged overlapping bars forming a grid for the glass panes.

Site 7
27-33 Hawke St

Typical of historical residential premises, Church and School yards in Australian cities is the cast iron fence and gate. Usually supported by forged iron buttresses to provide strength and stability.

Site 6
Peel St opposite William St.

Simple pedestrian gate through wall to QV Market

Site 5

Corner Victoria and Hawke St. Another example of a fence surrounding underground public conveniences. In this case, the facilities have been filled in and concreted over. Notable hand made detail in the gate latches and drop bolts.

Site 4
QV Market. Victoria St opposite Cobden St.

Large double gate relocated to current site. See pictures for explanation on plaque. These gates serve no purpose today as they are fixed permanently open. My guess is their relocation was a preservation exercise.

Site 3
Corner of Victoria and Elizabeth St.

Fence separating the underground public toilet facilities from the public courtyard on the surface. Defines where the facilities are located while protecting a hazardous potential fall zone.

Site 2

Royal Melbourne Regiment Building. 53 Victoria St

Doors to courtyard entrance and window above door opening. Hooks on either side of goods  access gates. These works are simple security devices to separate the public outside on the street from members and associates of the Regiment within. The forged doors are today fixed open permanently.

I am conducting a survey of hand made ironwork in the City of Melbourne as a component of my research project for MA (Art in Public Space) at RMIT University.
The geographical parameters are Flinders St, Spring St, Victoria St, Hawke St and Spencer St.
All streets and laneways which fall within these boundaries will be included in the survey.
While interested particularly in the handmade, I'm looking only at works which can be seen from the street and are forged iron or steel.

Site 1.
City Baths. Victoria St.

This site is a typical cast iron fence assembly with forged iron buttressing, gate styles and drop bolts. The fence and gates separate public street space with a public venue which requires the payment of an entrance fee.