Recapturing Yesterday For Today

By Author: Edward Hall
Total Articles: 93
Comment this article

Not so long ago the cast iron radiator was a dinosaur of the past, carelessly discarded to the scrap yard and replaced with a modern flat radiator. Sadly many of the original beautiful cast iron traditional radiators have been destroyed and our heritage was so nearly extinguished forever. As old original radiators became more and more rare they became increasingly expensive and therefore were only available to a few. Paladin has tried to faithfully reproduce the remaining beautiful pieces of functional art and market them at a price that is more widely affordable.

The development and mass production of cast iron radiators was an American phenomenon, the first patents dating back to 1841. Mr Joseph Nason who established the Nason Manufacturing Company in America in 1841 came to England and worked with Mr A M Perkins the inventor of the Perkins hot water system of heating. Mr Nason and Mr Perkins directed foundries in London and elsewhere in Britain and together with Robert Briggs patented a steam radiator in 1862. Soon after this Nelson H Bundy in 1872 invented the Bundy Loop, a cast iron radiator design which played an ...
... important role in the evolution of the cast iron radiator as we know it today. Until 1892 numerous American manufacturers produced a variety of designs and three 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.

Soon after the 1950's the cast iron radiator waned in popularity and the thin less bulky radiator, paint it and disguise it culture came along. However in the past few years the cast iron radiator has enjoyed a major revival in popularity and has become a desirable feature taking pride of place in living areas within both the period and modern home. Paladin takes great pride in being a part of the resurrection of this old iron art form and has taken much time to faithfully reproduce the old original styles to bring back to life the beauty and form of the original cast iron radiator.

With many years in the heating and plumbing industry Edward Hall has been writing on such subjects as cast iron radiators and traditional radiators imparting his vast knowledge on the subject.