How I revived the rusty railings at our old French farmhouse

Our farmhouse has a walled garden in which we grow fruit and vegetables just as they did in the olden days. 

The top of the wall nearest to the house is decorated with a set of wrought iron railings. 

Although partially obscured by trees and bushes, these railings are a handsome feature to be preserved if possible. Long before we moved in, the rust had got at them in a bad way, and even eaten through parts entirely. 

A few years ago, the end section of the railings fell away because of the weight of thick honeysuckle stems winding around the spindles (vertical bars). 

‘Oh well,’ I thought – the remaining sections were still standing and I could put off repairs for a while longer.

What repairing our French farmhouse taught me about tiling

Working with loose railings

Then came the storms of last winter and three more sections of railing detached themselves. I could not bear to look at them, leaning at such a dangerous angle. It was time to act before the problem got worse. 

I waited for a spell of dry weather and then dismantled the loose railings, carefully detaching each 2m unit from its neighbours and lowering it safely to the ground. Now I could consider the progress of the problem.

The lime mortar in the walls had done its best to hold up the angled brackets to which the railings were attached, but it had been fighting against the honeysuckle stems, ivy and, worst of all, winter jasmine that had managed to establish such an intricate root system that whole stones were being liberated from the wall. 

My first job was to clear away all organic matter, living or dead, as well as the mortar that had turned to crumbs and dust. 

At this point I realised the irksome thing about working on walls: you need to get to both sides of them simultaneously, which meant endless, tedious round trips through the only gap, several metres away from where I was working.

Fence brackets revamp

The reality of restoring an ancient façade in France

Now I could start reassembling the railings section by section, setting each one straight and level and supporting it with props and clamps. 

I fixed the existing fence brackets back in position and filled all large holes with cement mortar. 

If necessary, I joined sections using a variety of improvised solutions, including ratcheted collars usually used to fix hoses. 

Where there was unwanted movement I improvised new staples that go over the bottom rail and are embedded in the mortar.

When the railings were back in place it was time to do the detailed work. In places the rust had eaten right through the metal and the bottom of several of the spindles were dangling instead of being attached to the bottom rail.

Read more: ‘Old French house bricks have a character that is unique’

I also fixed the sections together using a variety of clamps and nuts and bolts, discreetly placed and hidden wherever possible by the masonry. 

Finally I had to tackle the two most deteriorated sections at the exposed east end. One, as mentioned, had fallen unaided but that was easily put back in its place. 

The one next to it, at the very end of the run, needed most work. Several of the spindles had been so badly attacked by rust that they no longer met the bottom rail. 

I tried various ways to stop these dangling in mid air. The best solution I could come up with was to cut some small lengths of copper tube, which could be used to connect the spindle with its stalagmite stub at the bottom. 

It is not the most elegant solution but it is a solution and, when I let the honeysuckle grow back in a controlled fashion, no one will ever notice.