Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

[KeithL]

Last year we visited Iceland, and were surprised at the amount of buildings covered in rusty corrugated iron. We had expected nice smart Scandinavian style buildings. But no!
These shots were taken in the far NW of Iceland, in its once largest fishing town, Isafjordur.

Firstly, a newly clad Victorian building:

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Now, a typical street:

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Getting rustier!

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Rustier still!

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And the piece de resistance!
There was actually someone living in this......

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Must be the Viking spirit....or the brennivin.
We didn't really know what to expect, but Akureyri, for instance, was a pleasant town. Until well after World War 2, Iceland was a very poor country,
and it is only in surprisingly recent times that it has become fairly affluent. Iceland has a unique social history, quite fascinating. I'll post more images over the next days.

Hope you enjoy these shots. Only records, of course, but I hope you'll find them interesting. Thanks for looking.

[Bikie John]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

Very interesting, thank you Keith. I look forward to seeing more.

John

[iso]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

Great photos of record. 'Victorian Building'? Did we (UK) have an influence there? Apart from Cod of course. Again liked the shots.

[steverh]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

Great photos of record. 'Victorian Building'? Did we (UK) have an influence there? Apart from Cod of course. Again liked the shots.

Not sure about Iceland, but a number of British companies exported flat pack corrugated iron buildings all over the world. John Lysaghts in Bristol was one of the biggest.

http://www.bhhg.co.uk/showfiles.php?files=JOHN%20LYSAGHTS

[OM USer]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

Thank you Keith. Do post the rest.

[KeithL]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

Thank you all for your positive comments!

Iceland actually did adopt quite a lot of Victorian style in its architecture in the second half of the 19th c; generally with an American bias. Originally the buildings were all wood; but after WW2, they realised that corrugated iron was useful and lasted longer (as a result of first us occupying Iceland in 1940, then the US taking over, and leaving many nissen huts behind afterwards). From about 1930, they used more and more concrete; but it was an astonishingly poor country, and houses don't seem to have been well built until well after WW2. In the 60s, apparently, they used old newspapers to insulate a lot of houses! Timber-framed, cut-sod built houses were certainly in use until the 1960s; they were well insulated, but dark, often with earth floors, and well, we wouldn't fancy living in them! It was a bit of a shock when I found out that there were virtually no wheeled vehicles there until after 1900. The roads were just for pack horses, so were only tracks.

I'll certainly post more photographs of Iceland for you.

[Bassman51]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

The main - and only - road that circles Iceland is the Ring Road. Parts of it are still unpaved. The rest of it is two lanes with no shoulder. The vast majority of the river crossings once you get away from Reykjavik are single lane, with drivers taking turns in each direction. If it wasn't for the million or more visitors, it would still be sparse indeed.

[KeithL]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

The main - and only - road that circles Iceland is the Ring Road. Parts of it are still unpaved. The rest of it is two lanes with no shoulder. The vast majority of the river crossings once you get away from Reykjavik are single lane, with drivers taking turns in each direction. If it wasn't for the million or more visitors, it would still be sparse indeed.

[Internaut]

Re: Corrugated iron - but not as we know it!

Great photos of sone interesting buildings.

Great photos of record. 'Victorian Building'? Did we (UK) have an influence there? Apart from Cod of course. Again liked the shots.

I've been to three of the four corners of this ball of dirt, and buildings dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria are often referred to as Victorian (even in places that aren't terribly anglophile). Except for the French speaking bits, that is.