Wrought Iron Gazebos
A gazebo gives a garden a room of its own: somewhere to eat outdoors, read in the shade or watch the evening light fade. We hand-forge wrought iron gazebos for private gardens, country estates, hotels and wedding venues, from compact round pavilions to large octagonal and rectangular structures with lamps, curtains and solid roofs.
None of them comes as a kit. Each metal garden gazebo is designed for its site, forged in our workshop and protected with hot-dip galvanizing before it is painted.
Our gazebo and orangery designs
Shapes and styles
Round gazebos suit open lawns and the meeting point of paths; octagonal ones feel more enclosed and architectural; rectangular plans work best for long dining tables and poolside loungers. In terms of style we cover everything from manor and palace classics to Art Nouveau, the Victorian bandstand and clean contemporary lines.
Wrought iron gazebos with a roof
If you want shelter, the roof is the key decision. Openwork domes are made for climbing plants; polycarbonate and glass let the light in and keep the rain out; sheet steel, copper and shingles give full shade and a traditional profile. Lamps, curtain rails and built-in benches can be added to any design.
How an order works
Send us a photo of the place, its rough dimensions and a few words on how you plan to use the gazebo. We prepare a drawing, agree materials and finish, and then forge and pre-assemble the structure in our workshop. We deliver to customers across Europe, the UK and the USA; our crew can install the gazebo, or we provide assembly drawings for local fitters.
Why a hand-forged gazebo instead of a flat-pack one
Many products sold as garden gazebos in DIY stores and online are light frames that often weigh less than 100 kg (220 lb). They work only in calm weather; a strong gust can lift one, twist it and throw it against a car, a fence or the wall of the house. Because the structure is so thin, these mini gazebos are also small, rarely more than about 2 m (6 ft 6 in) across, so they are neither safe, nor beautiful, nor comfortable to sit in. Their only advantage disappears quickly, because they usually have to be replaced after a few seasons.
A gazebo that is safe and lasts should be made by craftsmen, to order, for a particular garden. Only then do you control the quality of the steel, the size and proportions, the anchoring and, if you choose the right design, the beauty of the whole structure.
Wooden or metal: how the materials compare
Hand-built gazebos fall into two main groups: timber gazebos made by carpenters and metal gazebos made by metalworkers. Timber gazebos are usually large, sturdy and solid-looking, and if the wood was properly treated they can last a reasonable time. Their weak point is moisture. Any unprotected spot, or one whose protection is not renewed regularly, starts to rot where it meets water, and rotten wood has practically no load-bearing capacity. If the main post rots at its base, the whole gazebo can become unstable, and the decay often begins inside the beam, invisible until it is too late. Wooden gazebos therefore need frequent inspection and maintenance.
In terms of looks, timber gazebos are built mainly from straight beams, so they suit gardens where a simple form is wanted. Richly carved wooden gazebos exist too, but they are a very individual style, expensive to make and even more demanding to maintain. A metal gazebo avoids most of these problems.
Why forged iron gazebos are the most durable
Not every metal gazebo is a good one: a badly designed or poorly finished structure is no better than any other bad product. Simple welded frames exist and have their place, but the real charm of metal lies in forged gazebos. These are usually far more complex structures, full of scrolls, leaves, rosettes and other details of artistic blacksmithing, and that complexity is exactly what makes them beautiful.
Steel is hard to work, yet in the hands of an experienced artist blacksmith it becomes remarkably plastic, taking shapes that no other material can match. A forged gazebo can be any size and any shape, including very fanciful ones, and its design can come straight from our catalogue or be developed with you to suit your garden. Made properly, iron gazebos are extremely strong: they stand up to any weather and do not rot, crack, fade or warp. The protection is applied once, in our workshop, by hot-dip galvanizing and painting, and if it is done right it never needs to be redone. That is why forged gazebos are the longest-lasting garden gazebos there are, and why a classic, palace-style, baroque, Art Deco or modern gazebo can be designed to fit any garden, any architecture and any taste.
Small garden gazebos and large pavilions
We make intimate metal gazebos for a table and a few chairs, such as the round gazebo with twisted columns AA11, as well as large pavilions like the gazebo with a glass roof AA12, about 5 × 6 m (16 × 20 ft), and complete wrought iron orangeries such as AA6.
A round gazebo with a dome, like AA2 or the manor-style AA3, suits a lawn or the meeting point of paths; an octagonal Art Nouveau gazebo AA10 feels more architectural; a rectangular gazebo with a traditional roof, such as AA8, works well beside a pool or for a long dining table. Roofs can be sheet metal, polycarbonate, glass or a covering matched to the roof of the house.
Lighting, furniture and railings for your gazebo
A gazebo becomes far more pleasant to use with a few extras. We often fix forged wall sconces straight onto the columns, and they can be fitted with motion sensors so that the lights come on by themselves when someone approaches. The intensity can be set to suit the mood, so the gazebo is as inviting in the evening as it is during the day.
Inside, it is worth planning the furniture together with the structure: wrought iron benches, a garden table and matching armchairs such as our designer garden armchair. Depending on the model, the lower part of a gazebo can also be closed with forged balustrades whose pattern repeats the rest of the structure.
Gazebos for hotels, wedding venues and parks
Besides private gardens we make gazebos for hotels, restaurants, wedding venues and public parks, where they host ceremonies, concerts and outdoor dining. For such places we design larger, sturdier structures, often with lighting, power sockets and room for a band or a long table, all made to the same standard as our private commissions.
Gazebo FAQ
What size can a wrought iron gazebo be?
Typical diameters range from about 3 to 6 metres (10 to 20 ft), and we have built larger pavilions and orangeries too. Size is limited mainly by transport, which is why big structures travel in bolted sections.
Does a gazebo need a foundation?
Yes. It is anchored to a concrete slab, a paved terrace on a solid sub-base or individual footings under each column, and the drawing tells you which.
How do you stop the steel from rusting?
Every component is hot-dip galvanized after forging and then painted, which protects the steel inside and out for decades.
Are your wrought iron gazebos for sale from stock?
Occasionally a finished gazebo is available in our gallery, but almost every gazebo we make is a custom commission, designed for its site and forged to order. We are happy to quote for any design, including one based on a photo you send.
Can a gazebo be enclosed to make a garden room?
Yes. With glazed walls and a glass or polycarbonate roof a gazebo becomes a small orangery or garden room that can be used from spring to late autumn, like our orangery AA6.
Which gazebo roof works best in a wet or snowy climate?
Where rain and snow are frequent, a solid roof of sheet metal, copper or shingles, or toughened glass on a strong frame, is the most practical choice. We size the roof structure for the local snow load and can add gutters, so rainwater runs off neatly instead of dripping onto the seating.
Our wrought iron pergolas and garden bridges can be made in a style that matches your gazebo.