Vintage View: Why cast-iron is one of the most tempting salvage buys

Staged on patios, pathways, swathes of lawn or even erupting through frothy planting, iron pieces are uniquely classy

Cast iron comes in various guises, including agricultural and industrial pieces such as this antique pump, finished in a protective wax to keep its colour correct.

Cast-iron garden furniture, wall plaques, fountain elements and ornaments are one of the most tempting salvage buys for injecting sepia-toned, 19th-century charm outdoors. 

New or old (many well-favoured designs are still cast from original wood moulds in "green" sand today), it has a physical heft and pedigree that makes it suitable as an interrupting eye-catcher.