Charleston Ironwork - Philip Simmons

Philip Simmons Heart Gate at St. John's Church on Anson St.

           Any stroll through Charleston will bring you in close encounter with another of Charleston’s treasures -- decorative ironwork. From gates to rails to windows to balconies, Charleston’s love affair with the beauty of finely crafted wrought iron is evident. Charleston’s affinity for decorative wrought iron came about early in the history of the city. In 1772, a wrought iron communion rail was imported from England and installed in St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. Blacksmiths, who had made a career of providing nails, horseshoes, and wagon wheels to the growing city, now began to expand their craft to include patterns and scrollwork. The earliest designs were taken from British pattern books, but it didn’t take long for the ironwork of Charleston to develop its own style. Unfortunately, much of the earliest ironwork did not survive the multitude of of fires and natural disasters that plagued those early inhabitants. 

Sword Gate, 32 Legare St.

Of the nineteenth century ironworkers, Christopher Werner is one of the most well-known. He created the Sword Gates at 32 Legare St., as well as the elaborate ironwork at the John Rutledge house at 116 Broad St. which incorporates the motifs of the palmetto tree and the eagle as an homage to John Rutledge’s service to the state and to the nation. The Sword Gates were installed at the Legare St. house in 1849, nearly a decade after Christopher Werner had been commissioned to make gates with Roman swords signifying authority for the Guard House at Broad and Meeting streets. He made one more pair of the gates than was needed, thus allowing for the gates at 32 Legare to be added. The beautiful ironwork at Hibernian Hall (105 Meeting St.) is also thought to be by Christopher Werner.

Hibernian Hall, Meeting St.

           The name Philip Simmons is synonymous with twentieth century wrought ironwork in Charleston. There are few names as beloved in twentieth century Charleston as that of Philip Simmons. Born in 1912 on Daniel Island (long before tennis centers and condominiums!) he lived the rural island life until he was 8 years old. Then the year came that the school district did not send a teacher to the children of Daniel Island and Philip’s grandfather sent him to live with his mother in Charleston during the school year. In the summers and weekends he returned to his grandparents' home on the island until he was thirteen years old. On the way to and from school, Philip passed by the blacksmith’s shop of Peter Simmons (no relation) and in 1925 he began to work for him. From the mentoring of Peter Simmons emerged what would become “Charleston’s Blacksmith” -- Philip Simmons.

Philip Simmons died in 2009 at the age of 97, leaving the city, the nation, and the world the gift of hundreds of pieces of wrought iron artwork. His work is on display at numerous museums including The Charleston Museum, The South Carolina Museum in Columbia, and the Smithsonian. He has been honored by local, state and national leaders. Mr. Simmons was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. While in Washington, he was invited to lunch with President Reagan. All of these accolades must have seemed strange for a blacksmith who still used the tools he inherited from Peter Simmons which had been made 150 years before. His workshop on Blake Street had no electricity and he made with his hands anything he needed to use in his craft.  Explore a wealth of information at the website for the Philip Simmons Foundation. There you will find more about Mr. Simmons, as well as a listing - including pictures and locations - of his most prominent ironwork. It is well worth a visit, as is his workshop at 30 1/2 Blake St.

   
       Please take a few minutes to watch this excellent video about Philip Simmons which was produced  by SC ETV:


                                                                                      Philip Simmons