.
Blacksmiths
Bradford on Avon area, Wiltshire
.
Blacksmiths’ tools in Bradford on Avon Museum
.
Blacksmiths were important people and their smithies or forges were once common features of every town and village, noisily transforming wrought iron into all kinds of things for domestic, industrial, building, transport and agricultural use. Most familiarly, the blacksmith forged horseshoes that were individually tailored for each animal and, when transport was by carts, wagons and carriages blacksmiths made and fitted wrought iron tyres to their wheels.
In an industrial area like that of Bradford on Avon much work was carried out for the woollen cloth and rubber factories and the smith’s trade blurred into those of the millwright and engineer.
Today few forges remain; mobile smiths now travel to stables to shoe horses, rather than horses going to the smithy and ornamental “wrought iron” gates are often made, cold, from strips of bent mild steel.
.
Blacksmith’s tools in the Museum collection
.
The best known forge in Bradford was Lailey’s in Bridge Street. It had a long history before Albert Lailey, dating back to the Huntley and Milsom families of the early 19th century.
A billhead from Ken Lailey for work for Ladydown Mill in 1952. He has adapted his father’s A. Lailey and Son billhead with brown tape.
The Forge that was run by members of the Summers family in Market Street became a bicycle shop and then an optician.
Another Bradford forge was in Coppice Hill. The former cart entrance has clearly been infilled, under its timber lintel.
The brothers Dennis and Peter Adams, who were associated with Marcos cars, had a small forge in Frome Road that mainly made ornamental work.
The Adams’ building, next to the Three Horseshoes pub, still bears Peter Adams’ name-board.
The village of Winsley had a couple of forges; this is opposite the Seven Stars pub.
One in Atworth seems to have been a pub for a while.
Old Forge, Lower South Wraxall