Alpha Rail’s Range of Wrought Iron Railings

One Alpha Rail's most popular styles of wrought iron railings is the standard Vertical Bar, which can be seen in public places all across the U.K. Its straight lines and clean design convey an air of efficiency and authority without seeming oppressive. This is a no-frills design that is perfect for public applications, but some homeowners have also selected it to go around their gardens for increased security.

Another design in the vertical bar range is the Humber. With a square post, spherical top and round infills, this design is often used for street railings. Its elegant appearance makes it a good companion for brick, and it is often seen in conjunction with brick walls and railings.

Another variation on the standard Vertical Bar is the Kennington, which pairs square infills and posts with a decorative finial. It also offers great strength which can be increased by the addition of supporting back posts. The Kennington is often the choice for parks and other landscaped places.

Another of Alpha Rail's most popular styles is the Albany, with the same kind of bar railings as the standard Vertical Bar, with round infills and posts. The posts are sleek and modern, coming to a rounded point. With its air of no-nonsense authority, this design is perfect for places where image is important, such as high-quality office developments.

The Westminster has square posts, infills and finials topped with sharp points. The points make it difficult to climb over the fence, which means this design is perfect for places where security is the main concern. It can be seen around parks or landscaping projects.

For those who prefer a more aesthetic look, there is the Churchill. This design has square posts and infills with a decorative finial ending in a ball. It is made to look decorative, which is not to say that it lacks anything in strength. It enhances the attractiveness of old buildings and works well with gardens and statuary.

For customers with special requirements, Alpha Rail can make bespoke designs. In previous projects Alpha Rail has worked alongside schools to make bespoke fence designs that include colourful mathematical equations, as well as encouraging words for the students to create a fun and creative school play ground. For example the gate of blue Bell Hill Primary School has the image of a bell with playing children underneath. Another example of Alpha Rail’s colourful bespoke designs is the gate of a bicycle path that includes a stylized image of a cyclist, making the function of the path clear.

Take a look at Alpha Rails fantastic range of designs and you’re sure to find something that suits your needs and requirements.

Improve Public Safety with Pedestrian Guardrails

When trying to improve public road safety it is important to ensure you only use top quality materials. Alpha Rail has almost 25 years of experience working with local authorities and contractors to improve safety for both pedestrians and drivers. They offer a variety of top quality pedestrian guardrails and work with their customers to provide a high level of customer service. Furthermore, all Alpha Rails guardrails are manufactured according to the requirements of the industry standards.

Pedestrian guardrails are used in areas where there are a large amount of pedestrians such as road crossings and public parks. They are especially necessary for the protection of areas used by children, such as playgrounds and schools.

The purpose of a guardrail is to guide pedestrians to a safe crossing point and one of Alpha Rails most popular styles, used for this purpose, is the traditional unit panel design. This design comes in two styles either full height or with a sight gap to improve visibility.

There are, however, some areas where higher visibility is needed, as traditional guardrails can, at certain angles, obscure the ability of the driver to spot small children or animals. Alpha Rail offers Optirail, the high visibility guardrail as a solution to this problem. In this design, the infill bars are positioned at a certain angle so as to improve the visibility for drivers minimising the risk at crossing points.

For city centre locations or areas where aesthetics are also important, Alpha Rail has a range of decorative pedestrian guardrails. Special features can be added to the traditional guardrail such as decorative posts, rings and finials. Custom designs can also be produced to fit in with a theme or to improve the appearance of run down areas.

The variety and versatility of Alpha Rails range of guardrails make them suitable for a variety locations, from high traffic road sides to prestigious central locations. Their attractive, stylish and most importantly secure and safe features make Alpha Rail the first choice for many local authorities and contractors.

Transform Your Property with a Juliette Balcony

A balcony can be a great addition to any home. It can be a way to change the style of a home without spending a large amount of money and without too much work. There are several types of balconies; Maltese and Juliette just to name a few. When trying to decide what kind of balcony will work best, you may want to consider your budget, the amount of space you have to work with and what you are likely to use the balcony for. If you have a limited budget, and not a lot of space to work with then a Juliette balcony may be the best option for you.

The name Juliette balcony comes from a famous scene in the Shakespearean play "Romeo and Juliet". A Juliette balcony is used with French doors, which allows you a small amount of room to step out onto and prevents anyone from falling. As well as this it can increase the light and ventilation into a room and transforms the exterior of your property, making it much more attractive. Almost any set of windows can be removed to make room for a set of doors and using single glazed doors will allow in extra light to help brighten the room.

Alpha Rail has a stunning variety of styles and designs of Juliette balconies to choose from. The "Portland", "Byron" and "Washington" are all classic styles with a contemporary flair, making them perfect for any style of architecture. The "Rufford" design is a simple Victorian style that can add a touch of sophistication to your home. The newest style that Alpha Rail offers is the “Chatsworth”, which features a diamond design at the top of the railing. The "Lincoln" and the "Jefferson" reflect minimalism, which is perfect if you’re looking for a more contemporary style, whereas the "Cleveland" is traditional with a modern twist featuring wavy lines.

Whatever the style of your home, whether it is modern or period, a Juliette balcony can improve the curb appeal of your property and could even add to its value. Make sure, however, that you hire a specialist company like Alpha Rail to install the balcony as they have the skills and expertise to ensure that it is done properly and safely.

Guardrails improve road safety

Guardrails, also known as crash barriers, are placed on roadways to prevent vehicles from driving off the edge of the road into something dangerous, such as a large object or a ravine, as well as to guide pedestrians to safe crossing points. It is dangerous to crash into a guardrail, but it is even more dangerous to go over the side of the road into whatever the rail was protecting. For this reason, guardrails are normally only placed where crossing the road boundary would be more dangerous than hitting the guardrail.

Guardrails are usually found on the sides of roadways, and sometimes in the central divider, to keep vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic. There are different kinds of rails used for different purposes. The A-profile barrier, or Armco, is most often found at the edge of the roadway. These barriers are made to bend or break when hit by a vehicle, therefore absorbing some of the impact and deflecting the vehicle back onto the roadway.

Guardrails benefit pedestrians as well as motorists. By keeping uncontrolled vehicles on the roadway, the guardrail is effectively keeping them off the pavement or pedestrian paths. For pedestrians, a guardrail can mean the difference between life and death.

As well as improving safety for pedestrians and motorists, decorative guardrails can also brighten up drab city centres and streets by using colour and creative designs.

It is hard to standardize guardrails for all types of vehicles. Types that are made to work best when impacted by cars can be too low for lorries. Guardrails that work well with lorries may be too tall for motorcycles. Despite this difficulty, guardrail technology has been improving, and injuries due to impact with guardrails have gone down. This is in a large part due to new designs in barriers and especially the ends of the barriers, and to improved motorist awareness.

Optirail is another form of guardrail that is improving road safety. When installing guardrails there is always the possibility that the motorist’s vision will be obscured. This in turn puts pedestrians at risk at crossing points where the driver may not have seen the pedestrian approaching. Optirail is a high visibility guardrail that eliminates this problem by using slanted bars allowing motorists to anticipate when a pedestrian may be crossing the road.

The Many Uses and Benefits of Wrought Iron Railings

Iron plays an important part in the construction industry. It is a very resilient and malleable material and this allows it to be used in various designs and for different functions. The use of iron in construction does not, however, end at the super structure. Iron is also used for its aesthetic qualities most commonly in the form of wrought Iron railings. They come in various designs and styles and are used as a form of protection as well as for decorative purposes.



Safety is the primary use for iron railings and they are commonly used in schools, homes, public parks, and so on, to either keep people and animals in, or out. Furthermore they are also used in car parks, theme parks and other recreational facilities to ensure protected areas remain secure. The other primary use for iron railings is for aesthetic purposes. Different designs and styles of railings can be used to create a more styled and creative look to a property. Iron railings are also commonly used with gates, which as well as providing security benefits can also improve the exterior appearance of a property or public area.

There are many types and styles of iron railing available. Here is a summary of these. The vertical bar system is the most common and is mostly used for security purposes. Within this range are other styles and designs such as the Albany, the Westminster and Kennington versions, amongst others. The bow top style of railing is traditionally used for parks and children’s play areas. Versions within this series include the Standard bow top, interlaced bow top, in addition to four other versions. Guardrails are another use for railings, which are mostly used as pedestrian guardrails and for cordoning off street sections. There are also decorative pedestrian guardrails used to revamp otherwise drab and dreary streets.

Bespoke or custom made railings are also a popular use for iron railings. These may be used anywhere; from gates and gazebos, to theme parks and the designs are as varied as the requirements and uses. Chevron and flat top fencing are available for almost any environment and are popular choice for their simplicity. In contrast balustrades add a debonair atmosphere to any home, internal and external versions mean you can showcase the intricate metalwork designs to all and sundry.

Iron railings are so diverse and can be used for all sorts of purposes such as Juliette balconies, gates, finials, handrails, arches, barriers, cycle stands and much more making them a great addition to any property or public area.

Expanding into the Residential Market

We are delighted to announce that we are expanding into the residential market and that our products and services will now be available to residential customers.

With 25 years of experience in the commercial market, all our products are of the highest quality and are built to comply with the relevant British Standard and Building Regulations.
We have products to suit any area of your home. If you’re looking for an internal balustrade, we can design decorative infill panels in different colours and finishes to make it a design feature of your home. Our Juliette balconies have proved to be very popular with our residential customers, so we have added four stunning new designs to our collection, meaning we have a design to suit every style of property.

If you’re looking to improve the safety and the external appearance of your property, then take a look at our range of bespoke gates and railings. As all our products are built to commercial building standards and regulations, you can be sure that you’re purchasing top quality products that will last for years.

Whether your home is a new build or a more period property, we have something to suit every style of building. All of our products can be supplied into the domestic market or we can assist you and help you to create your own unique design.

The Origin of the Juliette Balcony

Balconies have been, then and again, beautiful additions to a building’s facade. They are more commonly seen on areas where there are beautiful views like mountain ranges or beaches. In the urban areas, balconies are built not as a part of the house to stand on but more of a architectural design to give a medieval effect.

The term Balcony came from the Old Italian word balcony which means beam. It is described as a platform protruding from a wall or building and supported by columns and enclosed with a balustrade.

Modern designs use metal railings as a substitute for balustrade.



Balconies are more often used for ceremonial purposes. In the medieval times, Kings and Queens often wave and smile to their subjects while standing on a balcony giving an effect that they are above anyone and their word is law. In Rome, Italy, a newly elected Pope first shows up on the balcony for the first time for the whole world to see. This is where the Pope also celebrates mass. In churches, the balcony is more of a place for choirs so their voices will have a resounding effect on the attendee’s ears.

The most notable balcony has been used on plays most especially in William Shakespeare’s tragedy; Romeo and Juliet. There is a scene in the play where Juliet stands on a balcony while Romeo is courting her. Because of this scene balconies have been called Juliette Balconies. Although balcony where Juliet was standing was made of concrete and enclosed by balustrades, modern balconies are designs have been improved to be cost effective and easy to install.

Manufacturers now use metal railings to support and enclose balconies. European manufacturers like Alpha Rail often seek consultancy and accreditation from the European Fencing Industry Association for a suitable design. The founders of European Fencing Industry Association aim to represent all interests in designing, manufacturing and installing of fences. Alpha Rail’s designs fit perfectly on the modern world’s tastes. Some of their designs include the Portland, the Byron, the Rufford and the Chatsworth. Because of the increasing popularity and demand of Juliette Balconies, Alpha Rail has added 4 more designs and named after United States Presidents.

The Washington balcony design has criss-cross patterns on the top and at the bottom corners of the rail for a geometric detail. The Lincoln’s design is more modern and reflects minimalism perfect for simple but more urban like homes. The Jefferson is more like the Washington with the criss-cross pattern replaced with circles but still reflects the same elegance. The Cleveland is simpler with wavy rails strategically placed after two straight ones creating an optical illusion that the whole balcony is made of gelatin.