IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTAL BALUSTERS AND BALUSTRADES AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL RAILS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Richard Cottam, of St. Pancras Iron Works,
Old St. Pancras Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTAL BALUSTERS AND BALUSTRADES AND
OTHER ORNAMENTAL RAILS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Richard Cottam
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his 'Petition,
on the 8th May 1867.
I, HENRY RICHARD COTTAM, of St. Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras.
Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTAL BALUSTERS AND BALUSTRADES, AND
OTHER ORNAMENTAL RAILS," to be as follows :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in ornamental balusters and
balustrades and other ornamental rails. I form balusters of staircases and
balconies and balustrades and other rails, such as the upright and other rails,
of umbrella stands, and others, of iron bars with grooves in them with over-,
lapping flanges, and into each such.groove I slip lengths of ornamental tiles.
so as to fill up the grooves from end to end; in this way a highly ornamental
effect is inexpensively obtained. In place of employing overlapping flanges
to retain the tiles in position the overlap may be omitted.

page_text: In some cases I form the balusters, balustrades, or rails each of two flanged
bais connected together at their ends, and I introduce the tiles between the
bars, and so that they may be retained by the flanges upon them. In this
case tiles ornamented on both faces may be employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Richard Cottam in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
RICHARD COTTAM, of St. Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for IIerself, Her heirs and suecessors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Richard Cottam, Her special licence that 1, the said Henry Richard
Cottam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as the
said executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORNAMENTAL BALUSTERS AND BALUSTRADES AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL RAILS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Richard
Cottam, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the-same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described. and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in ornamental balusters and
balustrades and other ornamental rails. I form balusters of staircases and
balconies and balustrades and the upright and other rails of umbrella stands

page_text: of iron bars with grooves in them with overlapping flanges, and into each such
groove I slip lengths of ornamental tiles so as to fill up the grooves from end
to end. In this way a highly ornamental effect is inexpensively obtained. In
place of employing overlapping flanges to retain the tiles in position the over-
lap may be omitted.
.
.
In some cases I form the balusters, balustrades, or rails of umbrella stands
each of two flanged bars connected together at their ends, and I introduce the
'tiles between the bars, and so that they may be retained by the flanges upon
them. In this case tiles ornamented on both faces may be employed.
.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed..
?
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1. is a front view of a balustrade constructed according to my Inven-
tion. Each baluster consists of a cast-iron bar a, it has a wrought-iron pin
cast in its lower end, and this is passed. through a bar b and rivetted over;
the bar 6 has also rivetted to it feet 6, 8, which if the platform is of wood are
made with lugs at the bottom, and are screwed down to the platform; if the
platform is of stone they are leaded into it. The sectional form of each bar a
is shown at Figure 2. A longitudinal section also is shewn at Figure 3:
The bars are open at their upper ends, and the tiles c, c, are dropped into them;
and afterwards the hand rail d is applied. The hand rail is secured by tap
screws, or otherwise. Figure 4 shows a baluster similar to those shown at
Figure 1, except that the overlapping lips of the flanges are connected
together by cross strips a³, a', which both strengthen the bar and serve to hide
the joints between the tiles; this baluster as represented in the Drawing
receives a cap at its upper end, to which a wooden hand rail may be fixed.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 6 a transverse section of
Figure 4. Figure 7 is a front view, Figure 8 is a longitudinal section, and
Figure 9 is a transverse section of a baluster in which the tiles are held with-
out overlapping flanges. For this purpose rosettes d, d, are employed, having
stems which pass between the tiles and through the back of the bar to screw
nuts beyond. In some cases as already mentioned I form each baluster of
two flanged bars, as is shown in transverse section at Figure 10, the bars a are
attached at their lower ends to a bar b, see Figure 1, or to the platform which
carries them; they receive the tiles e, e, between them, and at the top the bars
receive a cap formed or fixed to a top rail d. In this arrangement both sides
of the tiles are exposed and are ornamented.; or where tiles are employed

page_text: which are ornamented on one face only the arrangement may be as is repre-
sented in transverse section at Figure 11, and in front view at Figure 11*, the
tiles being placed back to back.
Figure 12 is a front view of an umbrella stand constructed according to my
Invention. a, a, is an upright bar; it is fixed to the base b, as is shown in the
horizontal section, Figure 13. The bar a receives tiles c, c, and holds them
by overlapping flanges, as already described. d, d, are cross rails carried by
the main bar a, and having hat pegs upon them. At the points where the
cross rails are applied the flanges are cut away from the main bar, and the
cross rails are inserted between the tiles c, as is shown at Fig. 14. The
cross rails are similar in section to the main bar, and hold tiles in a similar
manner, they are secured to the main bar by a screw with a countersunk
head; or the cross bars d may be slidden into dovetail grooves in the bar a, as
is shown at Figure 15. The upper end of the bar a and the ends of the rails d
receive ornamental caps f, f, which are secured by screws or in any convenient
Hat pegs are applied in connection with these caps, and as is
shown at Figure 16 the hat peg may screw through the end of the bar and
through the cap. The oblong frame g for receiving the umbrellas may be
formed of bars ornamented with tiles in a similar manner, and may be secured
to the main bar a in the same way as the rails d. In place of earthenware
tiles glass may be employed, it may be painted glass or plain glass with a
design on paper or other surface attached to it, as is well understood. The
glass may be backed by casting plaster upon it.
In witness whereof I, said Henry Richard Cottam, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.