Forged Exterior Balustrade – French Balcony (BA47)

BA47 is a French balcony: a shallow railing set directly in front of a tall window, so the doors can be opened wide for light and air.

Scrolls and turned finials are forged by traditional blacksmith methods, and the whole railing is made of wrought iron.

Light ironwork on a clinker facade

BA47 was designed to be light but clearly drawn, so that it would not weigh down a facade of dark clinker brick. It sits in front of a tall arched window above a bay, as a shallow French balcony: the doors open inwards and the railing keeps the opening safe while letting in light and air. Hand-shaped scrolls fill the panel between a calm top rail and a firm bottom rail, and vertical elements keep the whole railing stiff.

Turned details on the axis

The centre of the composition is marked by turned finials and small vase-shaped details, which add depth and order to the pattern. The scrolls are not plant motifs; their shapes come straight from classic forging at high temperature, each one formed individually and then fitted to the line of the balcony. The bronze-toned finish ties the ironwork to the warm colours of the window frames.

What a French balcony needs

A French balcony is fixed to the window reveals or to the facade, not to a slab, so the fixings carry all the load. We anchor BA47 into the masonry on both sides and, where the reveal is narrow, into the wall below the sill. Its height follows the rules for guarding a full-height window, which is usually the same as for a balcony.

More shallow balconies and window guards can be seen with our balcony railings in wrought iron.