ABSTRACT
British iron, especially Scottish cast iron, played a significant role in Argentina as part of a complex imperial system. This chapter explores the historical contexts of British iron in Argentina, first exported to the country after free trade began in 1853. It describes the range of iron structures and some of the ornamental motifs used, elucidating iron's role in shaping design outcomes and the social expectations concerning architecture in Argentina. Even now it is possible to find British-made cast-iron structures in many areas of Argentina. Since Britain, especially Scotland, already dominated the international market for architectural ironwork, the urbanisation of Argentina presented a potentially lucrative new market for British manufacturers. The emergence of Britain as the world's most powerful trading nation was the direct result of industrialisation in the Victorian period. In the second half of the nineteenth century the iron industry was considered to be the most important staple manufacture of the United Kingdom.
