Abstract

In the 19th and 20th centuries both iron and steel were worldwide applied to construct structures such as halls, markets, stations and bridges. Belgium, an early industrialised country on the European mainland, was famous for its iron and steel production and the export of iron and steel structures. Nevertheless, most early Belgian construction workshops are under explored. Since the company archives of Belgian construction workshops are seldom preserved, trade catalogues are analysed in this paper to get insight in the structures the workshops built. These catalogues offer a broader context for the individual structures that were transported and built worldwide.