Featured Attractions

Featured Attractions

Blacksmiths Guild

Nothing comapres to the smell of a blacksmith's forge. A memory made in an instant!

The Blacksmiths Guild was originally founded in the 60's as a result of a number of west country blacksmiths holding an exhibition at the builders centre in London.

From that exhibition came an enquiry for 8 pairs of large gates for a cemetery in Virginia falls, Washington USA. The project was too large for for one person, so Frank Day, who toured the country on behalf of the council for small industries in rural areas, was tasked to co-ordinate the project.

As COSIRA was a government sponsored department, it could not become financially involved, and so the Guild of Wrought Ironwork Craftsmen of Wessex was formed.  It had two main objectives; to promote blacksmithing and to provide and maintain training in the traditional blacksmithing skills. Rather than Frank travelling to the forges, it was thought to be more advantageous to hold training courses on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays.

Frank was based near Taunton and was friendly with the then head of Cannington College and so the facilities at the college were used as a base. When the facilities at the college began to deteriorate over a number of years, the Guild members thought it would be good idea to use the premises solely by the Guild.

This had implications, the main one being the financial commitment, so funds had to be built up over a long term.

In 1998, at Westpoint Showground, a number of local blacksmiths, some of them Guild members, had the opportunity to build a permanent forge at their own expense. With a lot of goodwill, a new Blacksmiths Association ( Blacksmiths and Metalworkers Association of south West) was formed to do this.

With very limited funds, a sponsored building was erected, forges were made and the materials and facilities to make them were donated. An unwanted forge was refurbished by a member, free of charge. The guild now had permanent base, and a basic building to work from.

The Devon Agricultural Association who own Westpoint granted a thirty year licence from the year 2000 to the BMASW for the use of the building, again free of charge, with the proviso that they had to organise and man the metalwork feature at the Devon County show.  This was obviously a very good deal.

Meanwhile the Guild's facilities at Cannington had deteriorated and seemed to have no fixed future, and so the project was abandoned in favour of the Westpoint project.

By mutual agreement, the Guild's members voted to move to Westpoint and invest in the facility, and so the move to Westpoint was instigated, the building was completed and the Guild finally moved in at the end of 2004.

Blacksmiths Guild will be appearing at the following shows:

Sorry, no shows available, please check back soon.

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