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Blacksmiths
Bradford on Avon area, Wiltshire
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Blacksmiths’ tools in Bradford on Avon Museum
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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.
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Blacksmith’s tools in the Museum collection
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