page_title: Egyptian Revival architecture in the British Isles
section_title: Lord Bute's Ironworks, Rhymney
hierarchical_section_title: Egyptian Revival architecture in the British Isles / Industrial and transport examples / Lord Bute's Ironworks, Rhymney
caption_attribution_description: English: Iron furnaces built in 1824 at the Bute Ironworks, Rhymni
context_page_description: Egyptian Revival architecture in the British Isles is a survey of motifs derived from Ancient Egyptian sources occurring as an architectural style. Egyptian Revival architecture is comparatively rare in the British Isles. Obelisks start appearing in the 17th century, mainly as decorative features on buildings and by the 18th century they started to be used in some numbers as funerary or commemorative monuments. In the later 18th century, mausoleums started to be built based on pyramids, and sphinxes were used as decorative features associated with monuments or mounted on gate piers. The pylon, a doorway feature with spreading jambs which support a lintel, also started to be used and became popular with architects.
  As a result of the Napoleonic conquest of Egypt in 1798, more accurate records became available to architects and Egyptian Revival became a recognised architectural style. As the 19th century progressed Egyptian features were, on occasions, used for industrial buildings and particularly for suspension bridges, and after 1830 the Egyptian Revival style was often used for cemetery buildings and monuments in cemeteries.
context_section_description: The Bute Ironworks were established by the Marquis of Bute in 1824 near Rhymney in Glamorganshire. It was managed initially by William Forman under the name of the South Wales Mining Company. The original plan was to build 24 furnaces in an Egyptian style., Six of these furnaces were built between 1824 and 1839. They were designed by John Macculloch and the decorative detail of the Bute Works were said to resemble the ruins of Dendera. Initially the economic circumstances of the time adversely effected their profitability. However, after amalgamation with the Rhymney ironworks they started to flourish. A view of the ironworks was probably painted by Penry Williams around 1844 is now in the National Library of Wales.
caption: Iron furnaces at the Egyptian Ironworks in 1828
exif: {}