I’ve long held the desire to start creating the metal working part of the workshop, and we’ve started with the purchase & restoration of some vintage tools. The key purchase was my 180lb, c.1860 John Forrest Anvil, made in Lye near Stourbridge, the heart of the Black Country metal trade. I purchased the anvil from one of the real experts in the field, owner of the Peter Wright (Dudley) Company, Robin Sharples. While picking my anvil up, I also took home a Peter Wright Post Vice c.1890 - it looked like it had been at the bottom of the ocean for a while & the screw mechaism was damaged - it looked like it might be a fruitless venture, but it turned out to be a very rewarding project, getting a piece of history back to working order for the new metalshop.

The anvil is a London pattern, and is a great starter anvil for me to refine the art & technique of forging & blacksmithing. To that end, I’m also heading back to Sommerset very soon to visit The Forge, and pick up some new tools & inspiration from the crew at Alex Pole Ironworks…