Yes, it’s rather chilly in the UK! Many people across the country embraced the start of February this year snuggled up indoors enjoying a snow day, toasty and warm with their loved ones. Those lucky people with an open fire or log burner and a Garden Requisites handmade steel fireguard to boot must be pleased as punch with the frosty scenes! Meanwhile, as temperatures fell and blankets of snow covered the West Country, grinding most services to a halt, our hardy team in the workshop and office soldiered on and only stopped work to admire these beautiful scenes.
We hope this wintry spell gives everyone the opportunity to look ahead to warmer days and start planning for Spring! As the big thaw commences and the sunshine peeks out once more many customers are making Spring plans – ordering trellis panels for growing climbers, planters for spring bulbs and window boxes for hardy winter flowering plants. We’re heading into Winter’s final strait, and there’s no better way to banish the blues than by planting up a few colourful steel planters or wirework window boxes.
Steel Galvanized Weatherproof Canopies
One of our customers in Cornwall sent us this delightful photo of her recently installed steel scoop door canopy which lends not only a handsome finish to her beautiful Cornish cottage but also serves a functional purpose. It looks particularly good with an inch or two of snow. Whether rain, snow, hail or Autumn leaves, our canopies offer sturdy protection for your entrance way and welcomes visitors in from the cold!
Architectural metal detailing
Heritage metalwork is all around us in the UK – in every city, town, village and hamlet. We can see it celebrated in the Georgian crescents of Bath, in Edwardian enclaves of London, in the Victorian terraces of many seaside towns and far beyond. Generations of craftsmen have helped maintain these beautiful properties and, at Garden Requisites, we’re honoured to play our part too. What was often originally lead metalwork used for door canopy and porch roofs can now be replaced with very long-lasting sympathetic designs in zinc galvanised steel. It is so important that the longstanding legacy of this impressive architecture in period properties is respectfully renovated and enhanced through the years.
When you’re next walking along a street or crescent of period town properties or visiting an old country house or cottage, take a closer look at the old metal, architectural embellishments of these well-constructed buildings. Practical purpose meets pleasing adornment in every balcony or sheltering canopy. Some features may be looking a little derelict and worn, some renewed and renovated. Maybe you, yourself, are the custodian of some classic Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian ironwork.
These architectural extras really add to the character of a historic building and sometimes lend added support to attractive climbing plants. We like to reference them and reinvent them so that hand-crafted metalwork can be celebrated for many years more.
If you’re interested in heritage houses, renovation and restoration, it’s really worth following the Exploring Architecture series over on Houzz for ideas and expert advice. Or take a look at our Pinterest boards for ideas and inspiration.
Choosing a new metal canopy
Door canopies can feature in a variety of different situations. As well as improving a building’s frontage, they can look really smart running along the length of French patio doors that lead on to a garden or create a cohesive look over doorways for a series of buildings that are close to each other i.e. a group of outhouses.
Well-made, bespoke door and frontage metalwork can be hard to come by. Any replacement canopies or covers must be sturdy and safe, well-measured and installed with high quality fixings.
We find that our iron and zinc galvanized steel canopies are used for all types of property – to add interest and enhance a sense of handcrafted in contemporary buildings as well as reviving and renovating heritage structures.
Some super-smart finishing touches can really pull the look together and bring a fascia to life too. Consider metal planters and window boxes with crisply clipped topiary and trellis panels for well-held climbers. Et voilà!
Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your garden requirements – call us on 01225 851577 or email Hilary on info@garden-requisites.co.uk.