The

Worshipful

Company of

Blacksmiths

Newsletter37th Issue

December 2010

Editor:Nigel Whitehead

Published by: The Publicity and Public Relations Committee,Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, 48 Upwood Road, Lee, London SE12 8AN

www.blacksmithscompany.org.uk

On Other PagesCommon Hall – TheElection of Lord Mayor 2

St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe 2

The New Prime Warden – Richard Chellew 3

Election Court 2010 3

The Lord Mayor’s Financial Initiative 4

The Elworthy Trophy 4

Who is that Prime Warden? 5

The Quit Rents Ceremony 5

The Foundry Group 6

Visit to HMS Sultan 6

Update – CarpentersPrimary School 7

Tour of the V&AIronwork Galleries 7

Lord Mayor’s Show 7

Liveryman in Veteran Car Run 7

Awards 2010 8-9

NETS Successes 10

A Grand Idea Comesto Fruition 10

The Great Yorkshire Show 11

Edenbridge & Oxted Show 11

The Royal Norfolk Show 12

Charles NormandaleFWCB 13

One Man’s Vision 14

Turning back time 15

New Liverymen 15

Diary of Events 2011 16

Show Dates 2011 16

Ironwork JudgingCeremony 16

Significant Figures in Arts & Crafts Today 16

The Company Shop 16Burial Ground Gates at Brizlee Hill, Northumberland – see page 9

2

At Common Hall held inGuildhall on 29th Septem -ber, Alderman and Pavior

Michael Bear BSc.(Eng), MBA becamethe 683rd Lord Mayor of the City ofLondon to be elected to that office.The City of London has had a LordMayor ever since 1189 when HenryFitz-Ailwyn first held the office.

The ceremony in the Great Hall ofGuildhall follows a Church service in the Guild Church of St LawrenceJewry and begins with the Masters,Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff of the Livery Companies leading a procession into the Great Hall,followed by Officers of the Cor -poration and the Lord Mayor. Nowords can adequately describe thewonderful pageantry of the occasionwith everyone in the processionbeing fully robed and wearing orcarrying their symbol of office.

The Common Hall is opened bythe Common Cryer and Serjeant-at-

Arms. The Proceedings of the lastCommon Hall are then read afterwhich the Lord Mayor andAldermen who have passed theChair, the Recorder and the TownClerk retire to the Print Room,preceded by the City Marshall andthe Swordbearer, the door beingclosed and kept by the Marshall.

In the Great Hall, the CommonSerjeant then reads a list of thoseAldermen below the Chair whohave served the Office of Sheriff and informs them that, out of theAldermen named, they are to returntwo to the Group in the Print Roomfor them to choose which of the twoshall be Lord Mayor for the ensuingyear. The Sheriffs and CommonSerjeant then proceed to the PrintRoom where the Common Serjeantreports the names of the twoAldermen on whom the election has fallen; the Lord Mayor andAldermen then vote and the result

is recorded by the Town Clerk. The Swordbearer then hands theLord Mayor Elect to his place on the left hand side of the LordMayor. The Lord Mayor, Aldermen,Sheriffs and Officers then return tothe Great Hall where the Recorderdeclares the election to the Livery.

The Common Cryer and Serjeant-at-Arms proclaim the Common Halldissolved, following which the LordMayor, the Lord Mayor Elect, theAldermen and Others depart fromGuildhall.

Every year the Clerk sends aletter to each Liveryman before theShrieval Election with details of thecandidates and an invitation toapply for passes for that and theElection of the Lord Mayor. Bothevents are well worth attending forthe pageantry alone. Afterwardsthere is an opportunity to meetother liverymen over lunch at oneof the Livery Halls.

Common Hall – Election of Lord Mayor

On the evening of Wednesday 10th November the Lord Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt HonRichard Chartres, attended St

Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe for theDedication of the new organ and theinauguration of the St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe Girls’ Choir. The PrimeWarden, Richard Chellew, members of the Livery and the Beadle attendedfor Evensong that followed. The organ was played by Ian CurrorFRCO, organist of the Royal Hospital,Chelsea. The St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe Girls’ Choir was founded by the church in the spring of this year and is the only all girls choir in the City of London. The highlight of the evening was the music sung by the English Chamber Choir (whouse St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe forrehearsals) and the Girls’ Choir.Bishop Richard gave a witty andinteresting address to the largecongregation, which included livery -men of the Mercers Company, Morden

College and Castle Baynard Ward club. A champagne andcanapé reception was held after the service.

St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe

The Bishop of London blessing Members of the English Chamber Choir and the new Girlsʼ Choir

John Barber DL

(A Wonderful Medieval Pageant) Nigel Whitehead

At the Election Court held on 29th July in Apothecaries’ Hall,

retiring Prime Warden Sir DavidBrewer thanked Members of theCourt for their support during hisyear in office. He also madeparticular mention of and thankedboth the Clerk and the Beadle forunstinting support.

Mr Richard Chellew having

previously been nominated as PrimeWarden for the year ensuing wasunanimously elected to that officeand, having received his badge ofoffice from his predecessor, thenassumed the Chairmanship of theCourt.

Mr Donald Barker FWCB waselected Renter Warden; Sir DavidBrewer – Third Warden and Mr

Christopher Childs – Craft Warden.The Father of the Company, Past

Prime Warden Mr P N G Rayner, andthe Clerk, Citizen and Blacksmith Mr C R Jeal, were both unanimouslyelected to continue in their respectiveoffices.

As is traditional, on conclusion,the Court dined together with nooutside guests.

3

Richard Chellew – The New Prime Warden

He entered Lloyd’s insurancemarket in 1958 where he specializedin Marine and later Energy Insurance.

Although he was primarilyemployed as a broker on the floor atLloyd’s his work also took him toScandinavia, North America andChina. He was made Chairman of hisbroking house in 1996.

In the late seventies Richard led ateam from the parent Company’soffshore drilling subsidiary to sign acontract with British Gas to developWitch Farm in Hampshire. Thisproject was extremely successful andeventually became the biggest oilproducing area in England. He wasalso responsible at the same time for placing the largestoffshore insurance facility for British Offshore Drillingcontractors, with an overall limit of six hundred and fiftymillion dollars.

Richard is married with four children, Katie and Ross byhis first wife Penny, and Lizzie and Annabel by Judy whomhe met whilst sailing on the Lloyds yacht ‘Lutine’ andmarried in 1983.

Richard was admitted to the Blacksmith’s Company in1979 at the instigation of his father-in-law, Guy BradleyBowles, whose family probably hold the record for havinga family member represented on the Wardens Court for noless than eleven consecutive years.

His sports once included fishing, shooting and sailingalthough today his sporting activities are limited toencouraging his grandchildren. Asked if he excelled in anyof them he says no, although he was delighted to win theFinn Trophy in 1968, a sailing trophy competed for bymembers of the Stock Exchange, Baltic Exchange andLloyd’s. He also represented his Country competing in theHalf Ton Cup in La Rochelle in 1974 coming eighth overall,although his greatest achievement on that occasion was inreturning home.

Within hours of leaving LaRochelle for England on a pleasantSunday afternoon, Richard and one of his co-owners of their yacht‘Insoluble’ were to find themselves on a lee shore facing severe weatherconditions, force eight to nine (a small BBC omission), which quicklydeteriorated to between Storm forceten and Violent storm force eleven.Then, to add to their problems, theyfound a crew member had removedall their charts other than the oneshowing the entrance to La Rochelle.At that point there was no turningback as they watched the yachtfollowing them out of the harbour

founder whilst trying to re-enter. The following day theyheard on the radio that Edward Heath’s yacht, “MorningCloud” had been lost together with two of its crew.Fortunately, with the gods watching over them and asighting of the Fairways buoy marking the entrance to theNeedles Channel and sheltered waters, they managed tomake land four days later.

Since then Richard has been content to confine hisrecreation to reading and walking his dogs on WimbledonCommon. Since 2006 he has represented the LondonBorough of Merton as a Ward Councillor and has beenactively engaged in promoting the Wandle Valley RegionalPark as well as raising the profile of Merton Priory. In facthe was so absorbed in what he was doing that it led to hisyoungest daughter writing to the local newspaper andasking if she could have her dad back.

He is also very proud of the fact that, through his Liveryconnections, he has been able to foster a close relationshipbetween Reed’s School, a school that has close connectionswith the City, and what was at one time an ailing secondaryschool in Merton. Reed’s now not only acts as mentor to thesecondary school but is also taking a pro-active role inassisting two primary schools in the Borough.

The Election Court 2010

Richard Chellew

Richard was born in London during the blitz but unlike most war babies did not move to the countryuntil 1946. He was educated at St Mary’s secondary school in Merton where he developed afascination for history, which eventually led him to read Angevin history at the University of Surrey.

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The Elworthy Trophy was held at Woolwich Barracks inOctober and this year took

place over one day instead of theusual two day event at CrowboroughTraining Camp. Despite atrociousweather the cadets’ morale remainedhigh and their enthusiasm was notdampened. The number of teamsentering has increased each year asthe event grows in popularity and thisyear eleven teams vied for the trophy.

328 Squadron (Kingston) ATC werewinners by a clear margin; smiles

showing that all their training andeffort had paid dividends. PrimeWarden Richard Chellew and ThirdWarden Sir David Brewer, there in hiscapacity as Lord Lieutenant of GreaterLondon, presented the prizes and theCompany’s contribution towards thecost of sponsorship of the event.

Yet again the continuing support of the Worshipful Company ofBlacksmiths was appreciated.

4

Last year I was privileged to be invited to Winchmore Schoolas part of the Lord Mayor’s

Financial Literacy Initiative to helpchildren in London gain a grasp offinancial matters. I am pleased to say the occasion went extremely welland I was invited back this year. Thecompetition first required competingschools to hold internal contests tofind which group of pupils couldproduce the best entrepreneurial ideawithin set parameters.

My job was to assist each of the

four groups selected but not do thejob for them. I found this quitedifficult, as the temptation was just to tell them what they should bedoing. The pupils needed to think of a product that initially would beoffered for sale at a Christmas marketand then, if successful, could be

introduced to a wider market. Theproblem facing the groups was thatall the ideas they generated hadalready been used. They were onlyallowed to use an existing idea if theyput new spin on it and changed itsufficiently for it to become almostnew. Having made their choice theyhad about five hours in which todevelop a sales pitch, a full andproper business plan, a marketingstrategy and a presentation to showthat their idea had the most merit!Around mid morning each group wastaken for a chat with Mr. Young ofBarclays Wealth Management whoassisted by providing advice oninvestment and marketing, addingweight to what I had been saying.

Once the choice of product hadbeen made the groups leapt to theircomputers and, frankly, left mestanding. I was staggered by theircomputer competence and ability inresearching the internet to produceslides on Power Point and Photo shop. Their enthusiasm together witha friendly and healthy competitivespirit was simply a delight to behold.They listened and took onboardwhat I said to them and I found theirquestioning of my prompting bothuseful and thought provoking. All in all they were a pleasure to help.

The winning group comprisedfour boys who called their newcompany Aroma Fragrances. Theiridea was for bath bombs which lived up to the description and werequite unlike the usual gentle fizzassociated with similar products.They also developed a range oftoiletries and fragrances. We owe adebt of gratitude to Paul Carter, MDof Fragrance Design, who agreed tohave a phone chat with the boys togive them ideas of fragrances whichworked best at this time of year and also some budgeting advice. Thewinners received certificates for theday’s effort.

The satisfaction of working withthese pupils was a great reward andanyone who would like to be involvedin this worthwhile enterprise scheme Istrongly recommend to put his nameforward. I know my role as a volunteerwas to help the participants but I knowI got as much from the experience asthey did, if not more.

The Lord Mayor’s Financial Literacy Initiative

Cadets on parade

The winning team with Mike Shepherd

Michael Shepherd

Talking to the MD of Fragrance Design

The Elworthy Trophy – Damp but not DownheartedChristopher Childs

Photography by Stewart Turkington

The Trophy winnerswith the Prime Warden andSir David Brewer

5

Who is that Prime Warden?

Some while ago I was contactedby Martin Cherry, the Librarianof the Library & Museum of

Freemasonry. An anonymous callerhad left at the Museum an envelopecontaining two photographs. Therewas no note, source or message withthem but they had all the hallmarks of being Victorian and the sitter wasarraigned in robes and wearing abadge of office.

Martin took the trouble to contactan officer of the College of Heraldswho identified the Coat of Arms ofThe Worshipful Company ofBlacksmiths on the badge. Martinthen contacted me to ask if we wouldlike the two photographs; naturally, Iaccepted the offer.

The smaller photograph had thename of E J Stoneham, photographer,on the back with an address at 79Cheapside and a reference number,8491. How could I take it further?Then it dawned on me: put the name

in an internet search engine. I did andit produced a list of photographstaken by E J Stoneham for sale.

What the list also contained was a direct contact and so I sent an e-mail. Within hours a gentleman bythe name of Roger Vaughan hadresponded with the information that

the number 8491 would have been theyears 1882/1883.

A glance at our ‘year book’ showedthat in the year 1882 John Purdey wasPrime Warden and he was succeededby Charles Ravenhill for the twofollowing years.

Who is it? I do not know forcertain but he was evidently proudof his place in the Company as thereproduction of the photographshows.

The City of London obtained from the Crown theright to elect its own Sheriffs for the City andMiddlesex over eight hundred years ago. However,

as with all bargains, there was a price, and the City hadto concede the right of the Crown to require the City tomake another selection if the first was not approved.

The City was the first of twenty odd to acquire CitySheriffs. In 1130 Middlesex bought a charter from Henry1who, for a farm fee of £300 per annum, allowed the portof London to elect a Sheriff and a justiciar – a judge – tohear the pleas of the Crown. Henry 11 raised the fee to£500 and removed the right of the City to elect its ownSheriff, but Richard 1, for an increased fee of 1,500 marks,allowed the City to change the appointment of a justiciarfor the right to elect a second Sheriff. The City’s supportof Simon de Montfort lost it all these privileges in thereign of Henry 111 but in 1270 their rights were restoredand confirmed. The privilege of electing the Sheriffs wassecured by the liverymen in 1475 and confirmed by Actof Parliament in 1725.

Since 1211 and 1235 respectively, two Petty Serjeantieshave been rendered to the Court by men who held landdirectly of the Crown. This entitled them on theperformance of the service demanded of them to go quit of rent. Nicholas de Mora held a property inShropshire, the Moors, upon the rendering of two knives, one sharp and one very bad, to the Exchequer

at Michaelmas. In 1521 six Mercers acquired the Moors and the obligation to provide the knives. Walter leBrun held a forge in Tweezers Alley just south of StClements Dane on the rendering of six horseshoes andsixty-one nails.

Whilst the knives, which were restored to perform the service in the 1970’s, are new each year, thehorseshoes date from 1361 when the then tenant of theForge, one Emma of Tewkesbury, sought to commute the presentation of new shoes each year for the paymentof 18 pence. This was permitted provided she had a setof six shoes especially made for the ceremony and these,probably the oldest horseshoes in the country, are stillused today.

At the Annual Quit Rent Ceremony, held at the RoyalCourts of Justice and attended this year by Past PrimeWarden John Barber DL, the Queen’s Remembrancerpresided as the last Officer of the now defunct Court ofExchequer. The chequered cloth is still laid on the tablewith the authority of the Court manifested by the Great Seal of the Exchequer. The Royal Approbation isgiven by two beautifully illuminated deeds prepared bythe Writer to the Queen’s Remembrancer. The Queen’sRemembrancer is proud to retain this ancient link withthe City in the form of the Quit Rents Ceremony whichis the oldest legal ceremony still performed other than theCoronation.

Christopher Jeal

The Quit Rents Ceremony

6

Two years ago the Prime Wardeninvited me to identify whyyoung people were not joining

the Livery and to suggest changesand events to attract them. I pulledtogether a group to brainstorm thesituation; three Liverymen (Jash Joshi, Dean Hollington and HugoSanders), Stuart Davis, who wasabout to be admitted and our Clerk,Christopher Jeal.

It was important that both the goodand bad were aired, whilst retainingthe objective to attract the young.

Hugo Sanders said: I love thetradition and formality of the four formallunches but they are expensive. At thisearly stage of my career, potential guestsand I have similar time constraints ofbeing away from work during the middle of the day.

An event cost is an aggregate thingwhereby the meal, loss of earnings or leave allowance and travel costssoon accumulate. A low cost Londonbased evening function allowing theyounger Liverymen to bring guests

gained favour from all approached,especially on a Thursday evening.Networking and meeting like mindedpeople was popular and considered away to form bigger groups to attend a lunch.

Early this year Michael Shepherdjoined the Group and it was decidedthat a personal approach to allLiverymen under 45 would beuseful. Michael undertook this andproduced a data base so that e-mailwould become the preferred methodof communication. The naturalprogression was for him to take thelead and supported by Stuart Davis,the group ran an informal eveningevent at The Wine Tun, CannonStreet on Thursday 4 November.

Apprentice Ben Oliver com -mented: The evening started at 6pmand for a very reasonable £12.50 wewere given canapés and a few glasses ofwine. The informal atmosphere allowedfor an opportunity to ask questionsabout the workings of the Company andto get to know other members. I would

thoroughly recommend to those whomissed this event that they should comealong to the next one and enjoy thefriendly, social atmosphere.

A name was needed for the groupwhich had Blacksmith connotationsand the Foundry Group was chosen.

The cost of becoming a Liverymancoupled with the unknown advan -tages of membership has so oftenbeen cited as a hurdle to the youngjoining. The Foundry Group providesa forum to discuss and hopefullydispel these reservations.

Whilst the Foundry Group targetsthe young, all liverymen are welcomeso long as they are accompanied bysomeone under 45. There will be three meetings a year at the Wine Tun;the third Thursday of September,February and June is in the diary. Twointerest group gatherings are plannedfor April and November starting witheither a Magic Circle dinner or aboxing evening.

The next evening at the Wine Tun is17 February 2011.

Members of the Company were joined byLiverymen from the Plumbers, Founders,Turners, Shipwrights, Engineers and Fuellers on

a recent visit to HMS Sultan, the Royal Navy EngineeringTraining establishment at Gosport. Some thirty eightvisitors were welcomed by the Commanding Officer,Commodore Mark Slawson, and this was followed byshort presentations. Our liaison officer for the day was Lt. Les Lawson.

Training given at the base is from basic skills level to theuse of complex test equipment; today’s Engineers are aslikely to reach for a computer as a spanner. The training isthorough and high pass rates are achieved.

We were given conducted tours of the training facilitiesbefore and after lunch. Also, there was an opportunity toride on a coal-fired steam wagon which HMS Sultan usesin support of local charities’ fund raising events. Thewagon has to have a regular pressure test and certificationas to the safety of its boiler. It has also been “Cart Marked”by the Worshipful Company of Carmen, validating its usewithin the City boundaries.

The Gosport site began as a Naval Air Station in 1914and became RAF Gosport in 1918, following which it wasused in many different roles including administration and

training, incorporating the Admiralty Information Boardand the RN Survival School. These days, commercialorganisations such as Network Rail send their employeesto HMS Sultan for engineering training.

On conclusion of the visit Prime Warden RichardChellew presented Commodore Mark Slawson with aWorshipful Company of Blacksmiths’ plaque.

The Foundry Group Craft Warden Christopher Childs

Visit to HMS Sultan Maurice Greenberg

The 1930 coal-fired steam wagon

7

In the July 2009 NewsletterChristopher Jeal described theopen ing ceremony for the

Olympic Garden set up with the helpof Past Prime Warden John Barber DL, Chairman of the Governors, atCarpenters School. This large inner

London Primary school sits rightbeside the Olympic Park in apreviously under-developed area and caters for children from a wide variety of minority ethnicbackgrounds.

We would like to congratulate theHeadmistress, Sheryll Alexander, andher staff for the excellent result oftheir recent OFSTED inspection. In anarea where the cultural backgroundsof the pupils are so diverse, they haveaddressed the problems and achieveda friendly and welcoming place. A“language of the month” is chosen for study and pupils are encouragedto greet each other using it; parentsand carers are seen as partners andencouraged to be active in the school;projects are built around the OlympicGarden, swimming and horse-riding.

Sheryll Alexander is veryappreciative of her supportiveGoverning body which is fully

involved within the school and led byJohn Barber, whom she describes as“a rock for our school”.

The children all received a letterfrom OFSTED congratulating themfor all their achievements andprogress made.

The EditorUpdate – Carpenters Primary School

On the twelfth of July Members of the Companyand their partners joined David and Tessa Brewerfor a fascinating hour-and-a-half’s conducted tour

of the Ironwork Galleries at the Victoria & AlbertMuseum. Our tour guides, Dr Tessa Murdoch and

colleagues, provided us with an illuminating insight intothe history of ironwork as we were shown some of thefinest historical and contemporary examples of theblacksmiths’ craft. The evening finished with an enjoyablemeal at a nearby restaurant.

Blacksmith Bex Simonʼs gate at Carpenters School John Barber DL and Headmistress Sheryll Alexander

On a cold but bright Saturday in mid November, the Father,Peter Rayner, Prime Warden

Richard Chellew, Liverymen, familiesand friends waved and cheered fromthe stand by St Paul’s as the colourful

procession, that makes the LordMayor’s Show such an enjoyableevent for adults and children alike,made its way from Guildhall towardsthe Law Courts in the Strand. After the superbly stage-managed event

and with the sound of the bands in the parade still ringing in their ears the party was grateful when themoment came to gather in the warmth of the Wine Tun for a convivial lunch.

Lord Mayor’s Show

A Private Tour of the Ironwork Galleries at The Victoria & Albert Museum

Liveryman in Veteran Car Run

Taking part in this year’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, thelongest-running motoring event in the world (the first run was in 1896),was Liveryman John Thring in his 1904 Cadillac Model B. This car is

powered by a single cylinder engine of about 1,800cc mounted transverselyunder the seat, nominally 6.5HP but probably more like 9 or 10HP and famousfor firing “once per lamp-post” when up to speed (about 45mph) and goingwell. After a challenging 62 mile drive negotiating SE England traffic betweenLondon and Brighton, using the two-speed, epicyclic transmission “Dead Slowor Stop”, and with almost no brakes, a tired but happy John and passengerscompleted the Run in good time.

John Thring with fellow car enthusiast, LiverymanMaurice Greenberg

8

Award Win

Photography by M. O’Sullivan

The Stanley Allcard Cup

The Paul Allen Award

Blacksmith’ Army Cup

William Holland

Will Barker

Staff Sergeant Rory Olney

Presented by the Third Warden,Sir David Brewer

Diploma of Merit

Paul Dunkley

Alan Perry

Presented by the

Reserve Champion Blacksmit

Richard Jones

Champion Blacksmith

James Crossman

Presented by the P

Adam Booth

The Requirements for Awards are described on our website www.blacksmithscompany.org.uk

Presented by the Craft Warden,Christopher Childs

nners 2010

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Renter Warden, Donald Barker

th Reserve National Champion Blacksmith

Joshua De Lisle

National Champion Blacksmith

Simon Grant Jones

Prime Warden, Richard Chellew

Silver Medal

Paul Allen

Stephen Lunn FWCB, SilverMedal holder, was chosen for the award for the Burialground sculptural gates hedesigned and made for Their Graces the Duke andDuchess of Northumberland.The gates were to reflect theclients’ individual interests.The stones intertwine withthe roots to represent sand -stone removed to create thissite. Sandstone was thenused for the dry stonewalling. The gates are twelvefeet six inches in height andten feet wide.

The Tonypandy Cup wasgiven in memory of LordTonypandy (George Thomas:Speaker of the House ofCommons) who was anHonorary Member of theCourt of The WorshipfulCompany of Blacksmiths.The Cup may be awardedannually for a piece which is considered to be anoutstanding example of theskill of a blacksmith. TheCompany welcomes sugges -tions from any source forwork which meets thecriteria. A special panel hasbeen set up to assess thepieces nominated.

Presented by Baroness Boothroyd

Stephen Lunn FWCB –Silver Medal Holder

Gate details

Burial ground sculptural gates

The Tonypandy Cup

10

NETS Successes

Paul Allen FWCB, a former New Entrant TrainingScheme (NETS) instructor who was presented with aSilver Medal at the Awards lunch, was joined by three

former NETS trainees now Award winners in their ownright, here standing beside the table for which Paul wasawarded National Champion Blacksmith in 1994. The tablewas purchased by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongersand now stands in the entrance to Ironmongers’ Hall.

From left to right in the photograph with Paul Allen are:James Crossman – attended the NETS course in 2001-2003.He was Reserve Champion Blacksmith in 2009 and

Champion Blacksmith in2010. He has recentlyrestored the historicrailings around TheCrescent in Bath.

Simon Grant-Jones– attended the NETScourse in 1996-1998. Hereceived the Paul AllenAward in 1998; wasReserve National Cham -pion Blacksmith in 2009and National ChampionBlacksmith in 2010.

Will Barker – attendedthe NETS course in 2007-2009. He received thePaul Allen Award in 2010

Another former NETStrainee, Simon Summers

(not in the photograph), who attended the course in 2007-2009, received the Paul Allen Award in 2009. He hasmade a traditional weathercock for the Edwardian Farmseries to be screened shortly for BBC2.

In our last Newsletter we commented upon the threatoverhanging the NETS courses. The above shows that thecareer development created by NETS is vital to blacksmithsin honing their skills. While we are pleased to record thatNETS has been saved for the year 2010/2011 the source oflong-term funding has yet to be secured.

The Clerk would like to thank all those Liverymen whowrote to their Member of Parliament in support of theScheme. In addition, thanks to the numerous letters ofsupport from professional blacksmiths, he was able todeliver to the Business Secretary, Dr Vincent Cable, and the Education Secretary, Mr Michael Gove, an extensivedossier to demonstrate its importance and value to the craft, pleading for its continuance.

Award winners

Paul Allenʼs table

A Grand Idea Comes To Fruition

Twenty two years ago, newly admitted Liverymanand Silver Medal holder, Blacksmith Alan Dawsonhad an idea: this year, as some of you may have

seen on BBC4’s Grand Designs, he brought his idea tofruition.

Alan’s truly eco-friendly ‘adaptahaus’ prototype wastotally prefabricated by his team to his own design, usingideas gathered over his thirty years experience of working with metal in the construction industry. Withoutthe need for wet trades on site during construction, thehouse was up and occupied within four weeks, withAlan’s engineering skills coming to the fore when thesteel frame of the house had to be lowered to fit precisely onto the anchor plates, previously accurately setin the minimal foundations. One firm tap was sufficientto bring expressions of relief as the frame settled onto its anchor bolts.

As the name implies the house is adaptable in designand build and during its lifetime can be reconfigured tosuit changing family circumstances.

After becoming a blacksmith Alan taught metalworkand art before setting up his own forge in 1972. HisCompany, which is based in Cumbria, produces highquality art and architectural metalwork for clientsworldwide.

Nigel Whitehead

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The Great Yorkshire Show washeld on the huge permanentshowground at Harrogate,

entailing the usual week-long closureof Sainsbury’s and well-organisedweather (it only rained overnight,mostly). Public attendance increasedyet again, as did the number ofanimals entered in the competitiveclasses; the latter perhaps having beeninfluenced by the demise of the RoyalShow at Stoneleigh. My personalimpression, however, was that therewere slightly fewer commercialstands; perhaps an indicator of thetimes in which we live.

The Worshipful Company ofBlacksmiths was superbly repre -sented by a stand filled with excellentwork by students and smiths andwith an outside demonstration area.

All of this was ably organised andjudged by Mark Constable, who wasto be seen demonstrating with hisusual sartorial inelegance and beingoblivious to flying sparks.

One of our demonstrators was Paul Dunkley accompanied by hisson Jack who was convinced hewould be able to “pull the girls” of

rural Yorkshire by improving hisimage. Encouragement in this aim (ifnot in its objective) came fromSteward Liz Thring. The first stage ofthis exercise was his acquisition of aflat hat, then subsequent advice fromsome properly-dressed old fogie wasthat pink socks were not appropriatewear when flat-hatted. Further foraysto the stands of country-wearspecialists turned our Jack into theyoung squire sporting green wellies,

moleskin trousers, weskit et al; nextyear we shall work on his Master andhis plastic carrier bag.

The stand was ably supportedthroughout by Hugh Adams, thatstalwart of the hard-working end ofthe WCB spectrum. Hugh stayed for the duration in the showman’s van of our usual demonstrator, IanBaxter. The overall consensus was ofanother successful year for the WCB in Yorkshire.

The Great Yorkshire Show (A Tale of Sartorial Advancement)

This ever popular Show held over the August BankHoliday saw the Worshipful Company of Black smithsrepresented in the Craft

category. Liveryman Eric LamprellFWCB organised an impressiveexhibition of the Blacksmith’s artwith a splendid static display withinthe marquee. Categories includedTraditional (produced by hammer &hand), Contemporary (produced by anymethod), Gates, Anchors and Utilitarian(egg holders, decorative and abstractpieces).

Beside the marquee were twoworking forges where, throughout the Show, blacksmithscould be seen competing against the clock making a varietyof items including trivets and rowlocks. A good soundsystem enabled “Barker” Eric to engage the public, not onlyby providing a helpful com mentary on the blacksmiths’

progress but also encouraging voting for their favouriteexhibit displayed in the marquee. Each exhibit was

numbered and voting slips were posted in abox before being counted towards the end ofthe Show. One Judge seen casting a criticaleye over the exhibits was Steve Rook FWCBably assisted byhis wife.

Among themany Liverymenand their familiesvisiting the standwas Prime WardenRichard Chellew

and his wife Judy. Sustenance was provided through out theweekend for the Blacksmiths andVisitors by Blacksmith RichardBradshaw’s wife and her helpers.

The Edenbridge & Oxted Show Maurice Greenberg

Steve Rook FWCB judging

New hat, so ”Iʼll finish” (John Thring and Jack)

Liz Thring and Jack Dunkeley

London cockney boy to Yorkshire Squire

Paul Dunkeley and son Jack

Liveryman John Thring

Display centrepiece

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The Live Blacksmithing area next to the ExhibitionMarquee at the Royal Norfolk Show felt like Dante’sInferno to those brave Smiths demonstrating their

skills to a fascinated and sometimes bemused audience. A steady stream of people passed by and through theBlacksmiths’ arena and static showcase throughout thescorching two days in June to witness the craftsmanship ofthe Norfolk Smiths.

A wide range of work was displayed, both traditionaland contemporary, from small items such as key fobs andpendants to gates, benches and large sculptures. GodfreySouth, who kindly judged the exhibits, had no easy taskcomparing such an assortment of pieces. A traditionallyforged “mediaeval latch” made by Dave Townsend wonthe Show Champion shield with Nigel Barnett’s stunningred and black poppies sculpture taking Reserve prize.

Much admired by visitors was the Garden Seat in itselaborate arch, forged by a hundred-plus Smiths at theLittle Fransham Forge-in held only weeks before inmemory of Norfolk Blacksmith Dave Capes.

Meanwhile, things were hotting up in the Live sectionwith the Wicker Animals man next door looking worriedand the Tortoise stand people behind complaining (goodhumouredly) about the additional heat, and concernedtheir visitors might think they were barbecuing the

tortoises! I think this was exacerbated when a frying panfull of sausages and bacon temporarily replaced lengths ofsteel over one of the fires for the “Blacksmiths’ breakfast”.

The Live Competition to make “something to hold awine glass” had interesting results including a life sizehand by Jason Greenberry, one of Bill Cordaroy’s famousdancing figures, forged lettering spelling “wine”, andvarious other intriguing shapes. The finished items wereassessed by two guest judges from the flower arrangingsection – apparently far more fiercely competitive thanBlacksmiths – briefed by Nigel Barnett to look atpracticality and how well each held the wine glass as wellas appearance. They awarded first prize for a sturdystand, hot split and scrolled and with variously twistedstem, by Wendy Alford. There was no second prize butthe judges were keen to point out they also liked Clive’s(Bure Valley Forge) curly wurly affair, spiked for stickingin the ground.

At the end of the Show all the Smiths agreed that they hadhad an enjoyable couple of days with lots of interestgenerated, old acquaintances renewed and the prospect ofnew commissions. Thanks go to Nigel Barnett for hissupreme effort battling the Show Executive bureaucracyand managing under severe financial restraint to get theShow “on the road”.

The Royal Norfolk Show

Garden seat in memory of Norfolk Blacksmith, Dave Capes

The Blacksmithing Exhibition wasmoved to the Royal Norfolk Show -ground some 10/11 years ago. Therunning of it was taken over by BillCordaroy AWCB. and his wife Jan.They were assisted by Bill’s right handman, Jason Greenberry. The last twoShows have been a transitional periodwith Nigel Barnett AWCB. and hiswife, Angie taking over the reins.

I would like to take this opportunity

to thank Bill, Jan and Jason for theirtime and effort and for what theyachieved with the Show in turning itinto the success it is today. I wouldalso like to thank Nigel and Angie forvolunteering to take over the overallrunning and administration. I knowNigel has some brilliant ideas for thefuture and the Worshipful Company ofBlacksmiths can rest assured that weare in safe hands.

From Past Prime Warden Hugh Adams

Wendy Alford

Jason Greenberry, Bill and Jan Cordaroy

Wendy Alford receiving First Prize in the Live Competition

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As a reckless youth tearing around theSurrey countryside on larger and largermotorbikes he was somewhat directionlessuntil one lunch time, hearing music comingfrom a forge on a village green, he went toinvestigate. This was the beginning of alifelong friendship with Master BlacksmithRowland Ross, who had trained as ablacksmith in Germany in the 1960’s underthe fiery genius, Werner Holzbacher.

Post-war Germany was afire with newideas in the Bauhaus genre and Rowland’sapproach celebrated the Bauhaus philosophyof ‘truth to materials’, combining thetraditional techniques of the blacksmith withexploration of aesthetic surface texture, lightand shade, and use of connections as focaldecorative detail. He shared this passionatebelief with Charles who understood andembraced these Bauhaus’ principles of artand design. Charles served his apprenticeship withRowland from 1970 to 1976.

In 1983, Charles won an open art competition for thedesign of a twenty metre frieze for the Institute of CharteredAccountants in London. Judged by Sir Hugh Casson,William Whitfield and the Countess of Airlee this was theturning point in Charles’ career. This high profile andsubstantial commission gave Charles the incentive to ‘go italone’. Converting a group of redundant buildings in theMeon Valley, Hampshire, he established Wheely DownForge. With sparse equipment and assisted by friends likeTerry Clark, Charles created the four ton mild steel andbronze-coated frieze which was installed in 1984. Betweenforging huge sections of the frieze, Charles, who had joinedBABA in its infancy, worked with Terry Clark organisingevents for the 1984 BABA conference at Ironbridge.

In 1993 Charles wasadmitted to the WorshipfulCompany of Blacksmithshaving been proposed bythe congenial “Tommy”Tucker, who persuaded himthat it would be good for his career and that he might actually enjoy theassociation in future years; aforecast that has provedcorrect. Four years laterCharles was awarded theCompany’s Silver Medal,

the holder of which enjoys the title “Eminent MasterBlacksmith”.

During the 1990’s Charles was selected by the architectMartin Caroe to work on a number of challengingcommissions. These included a set of glazed screens and adoor in steel, bronze and oak forming a private area forprayer in the Crypt of Rochester Cathedral; fifteen steel andbronze down-lighters for St Giles’s Church, Cripplegate;

two screens for the ruined church of St John’s,Stanmore; brass lamps and brackets for theKing’s staircase in Kensington Palace; andnumerous items for the Tower of London. In1997 Charles received the Halifax DesignAward for the gates at Winchester College.

When Millennium fever swept the UK,Charles won a commission to produce allthe street furniture for West Street, Fareham.Items were to be made in wrought iron indeference to a local celebrity, Henry Cort,known for his invention of the wrought ironpuddling system. Being close to Fareham,Wheely Down Forge became a focal locationfor other competition artists who came fromRussia, Poland, Finland and Germany.Edward Fokin finished his sculptural Treesof Life in Charles rural yard. It was anincongruous sight to see him applying thefinishing coats to his sculpture surrounded

by curious men in plus fours on their way to diminish thelocal pheasants.

Southampton City Council Arts & Heritage Departmentcommissioned Charles in 2003 to create three public artprojects on the site of Holy Rood Church in SouthamptonHigh Street. This was to become the new National Mariners’Memorial. Bombed in 1940, the church remained open to thesky and Charles created a seven metre wide, three metrehigh chancel screen to secure the nave; made in mild steelwith bronze clasps, it has a flock of stainless steel seagullsflying through representing the souls of mariners. Screenswere designed for the newly refurbished Titanic Memorialtogether with 35 metres of railing securing the site.

Throughout his career Charles has spent timedeveloping sculpture in tandem with other projects. Asculpture, Parting, went on a Brighton Museum Metal and Motion touring exhibition organised by the HenryMoore Foundation and the Arts Council in 1988. In 2004,recognising a growing demand for large scale public artpieces, Charles invited artist and designer Julie Brooks-Hillto join the creative team.

In 2005 he won a landmark com mission for the centre ofLowestoft – Spirits of Lowestoft – comprising five stainlesssteel Bewick swans flying in from the sea on a nine metrespiralling structure. This was followed by two seven and tenmetre high entrance sculptures for Southsea town centreentitled Wave, incorporating fibre-optic lighting.

Charles then won three major commissions in NorthernIreland; a sculpture Across the Sun & Moon, for the NewDowne Hospital in Downpatrick; Tails of Flight for thepromenade at Newcastle beside the Slieve Donard Hotel;and a stainless steel water feature, A Twister Twisting, for the refurbished Castle Park Walled Gardens in Bangor.

In January 2009 one of Charles’ sons, William, wasapprenticed to Charles through the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths.

Examples of Charles work can be seen on:www.charlesnormandale.com.

Charles Normandale FWCB – Eminent MasterBlacksmith

Charles excelled at model making from an early age and was fascinated by how things worked. During hisrebellious teens he came home with a wheelbarrow full of motor scooter parts bought from a neighbour.His mother thought it would keep him quiet for the summer but in two weeks he had the bike on the road.

Winchester College Gates

Section of ICA freize

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One Man’s Vision – The CameliaBotnar Foundation

The Camelia Botnar Foundationwas established in 1979 byOctav Botnar and his wife,

Marcela, in memory of their onlychild, Camelia, who was killed in acar accident at the age of twenty.

Arriving in Britain in 1966 andspeaking no English, Octav Botnarhad within five years set up NissanUK Limited which was to become one of the most successful privatecompanies in the UK. He was a great philanthropist who, throughNissan UK Limited and The CameliaBotnar Foundation, made donationsto charity in excess of £100 millionduring his lifetime.

The Foundation is situated in theheart of the West Sussex countrysideand includes over 500 acres of mixedarable, open grazing and woodlands.It provides residential training andwork experience, helping youngpeople to learn a skilled trade,embark on a useful career path andsuccessfully make their own way inlife. It is nothing short of inspirationaland is entirely self-funding. In effect,the Foundation provides a secondchance to succeed for young peoplewho, for whatever reason, are inspecial need due to circumstancesoutside their control.

Trainees, who can choose frommetalwork, cabinet-making, joinery,catering, estate and grounds

maintenance, garden centre andhorticulture, pottery, light buildingwork, and painting and decorating,are encouraged to aim for NationalVocational qualifications, Key Skillscertification and other relevantvocational qualifications. The Foun -da tion has its own Key Skills Tutor on site for tutoring individually or insmall groups as required.

Living accommodation is initiallyprovided in the Main House on theEstate with breakfast and eveningmeals being taken in the main diningroom. In due course, trainees willmove to the Coach House which isclose to the Main House and, when

they are considered capable andready, independent accommodationis provided in a number of cottageson the Estate, where trainees caterentirely for themselves.

No fees or other charges are madefor the training. The Foundation is anon-profit making organisation andthe income generated by businessactivities helps to fund the charity.Trainees are paid by the hour, on amonthly basis, with weekly subs toassist with cash management, fromwhich a deduction is made tocontribute towards board and lodgingcosts, and an amount is also deductedfor savings with the aim of buildingup a lump sum for use towardsaccommodation and other costs when

the trainee eventually leaves theFoundation.

No prior experience or knowledgeof working with metal is necessary forthose who decide to join the IronworkDepartment. Trainees who show anaptitude for the work will, under the watchful eye of their tutor, TimClements, soon become competent tomake products of increasing difficultyand intricacy which will subsequentlybe sold through Camelia BotnarHomes and Gardens. They are givencomprehensive hands-on training inthe art of welding, gas cutting,fabrication and blacksmithing. TheArchitectural Wrought IronworkDepartment is fully equipped withforges, large power hammer,hydraulic guillotine, ring-roller andlarge power drill, as well as thetraditional hand tools, anvil and otherforge equipment.

To see for yourself the splendidwork done by the trainees and offeredfor sale, just visit Camelia BotnarHomes & Gardens near Cowfold,West Sussex, where you can alsoenjoy a cup of tea or an excellent meal in the Camelia Botnar Bistro.Alternatively, see the pieces made bythe trainees and entered for the YoungCraftsman of the Year Award at theSouth of England Show at Ardingly inJune 2011.

A special word of thanks is owed tothe Chief Executive, Emma Mitchell,and Blacksmith Tim Clements forallocating a day to showing HughAdams, myself and my wife, Marion,around the Estate.

The fully equipped ironwork workshop

Nigel Whitehead

Well head

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Turning Back Time for the Blacksmiths Craft

In summer 2009 I received an interesting phone call. Acautious voice on the other end of the line said “Sorry to bother you, but are you a real blacksmith?”. My

immediate thought was that I was about to be asked toshoe a horse as, from my experience, the public perceptionof a blacksmith is someone who shoes horses. I replied,equally cautiously, “Yes, I specialise in traditional forgedmetalwork, mostly tool making”. “Great, that’s just whatwe are looking for!” was the excited, almost relieved,response.

This was the beginning of my association with Wall toWall TV, the production company commissioned by theBBC to make the fascinating historical documentary seriesTurn Back Time – the High Street, on BBC1.

The series would portray a hundred years of British highstreet shopping between the 1870s and the 1970s and wasto be shot in the picturesque market town of SheptonMallet. It would also include a Grocer, a Baker, a Butcherand a Dressmaker. My role was that of an Ironmonger andBlacksmith in 1870s Victorian England through to the 1940swhen traditional craftsmen began disappearing from ourhigh streets.

I was obviously intended to be an affluent craftsmanbeing given two businesses to run, the Ironmongers shopand the forge. The shop had been an Ironmonger’s, at leastfrom the early 1900s, as depicted in many period postcardsbrought in by enthusiastic locals. Over the four periods Iran the shop it took on different guises, starting as anIronmonger’s in the 1870s and finishing as a Hardwareshop in the 1940s. It seemed a fitting tribute to the originalshopkeepers to reopen these premises for the purpose forwhich they had originally been used.

The forge was built as a “set” using period equipmentsourced mostly by myself and other colleagues. JamesCrossman, the current Live Champion, supplied an earlyAlldays and Onions cast iron forge, Hector Cole theauthentic coal it used and Syd Blackmore, a Dorset Smith,the bellows which came from a Devon Forge and date fromabout 1880. Richard Jones, the current Reserve LiveChampion, gave a day of his own time to commission the

forge, as I was not allowed to see anything beforehand.We not only had to trade authentically, but also had to livethe period, even when the cameras were switched off. Itwas really one big living history lesson.

The question now most often asked of me is “What didyou learn from all of this?”. To answer fully would takeseveral pages, so I will mention the most memorableaspects. Virtually living and working as a blacksmiththrough several historical periods was a once in a lifetimeopportunity and I now have a far greater appreciation ofthe hardships endured, and the high levels of skill needed,by our forebears to make even the most meagre of livings.The sense of community that was very much alive on thehigh street in days gone by has sadly been lost, not justamong traders but also the public. There is, however, still ahint of this unity within our ancient craft, noticeableespecially at the many public blacksmithing events stagedannually. Most importantly, I have had a huge insight intohow blacksmithing and other trades have becomedevalued by cheap imports and also, as a consequence ofliving in more affluent times, people now throw thingsaway (even if not broken) and buy new.

I am hoping that my small contribution to this projectwill go some way towards giving the blacksmiths’ craft aboost and reaffirm the recognition of high qualitycraftsmanship that we so rightly deserve

New Liverymen

Simon Grant-Jones AWCB

Simon and assistant outside his shop

It was entirely appropriate that at the MichaelmasCourt that preceded the Awards Luncheon the twoadmissions to the Livery should both be professionalblacksmiths.

Kenneth Alan Dawson (always known as Alan) hashis own business based in Workington, Cumbria. He is aSilver Medallist and, in addition to his outstanding skills,he has contributed to the development of blacksmithingas a founder member of the British Artists BlacksmithAssociation (BABA).

Timothy Roy Mackereth left the army and became astudent of blacksmithing at Warwickshire College. Hisoutstanding potential was recognised by the grant of aBursary from the Company. He acquired a disused forge atAnwick in Lincolnshire and he has established himself asa leading contemporary blacksmith with major works suchas the Eagle that was featured in Newsletter number 35.

We wish both Alan and Tim continued success in thecraft and hope that they will still be able to find the timeto participate in Company events.

16

Published by: The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. Printed by: Shooter & Mallet, 11 Agaton Road, New Eltham, London SE9 3RN. Tel: 020 8859 5070.

Prices:

• Livery Tie £10 (Liverymen only)

• ‘Social Tie’ £22• Umbrella £15• Cuff Links £66.50• Brooches £45

All items available from the Clerk, Christopher Jeal.A limited supply might be available at Court luncheons.

Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths’ Shop

Show Dates 2011North Somerset Show 2nd MayDevon County Show 19th-21st MayRoyal Bath and West Show 1st-4th JuneRoyal Cornwall Show 9th-11th June South of England Show 9th-11th JuneThree Counties Show 17th-19th June Royal Highland Show 24th-27th JuneRoyal Norfolk Show 29th-30th JuneGreat Yorkshire Show 12th-14th JulyRoyal Welsh Show 18th-21st JulyNew Forest Show 26th-28th JulyEdenbridge and Oxted Show 28th-29th AugustDorset County Show 3rd-4th September

SHOWS IN ITALICS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE WBCBUT ARE NOT ON THE NBCC CIRCUIT

Diary of Events 2011

Copies of photographs

Copies of the excellent photographs taken by MichaelO’Sullivan, of the Awards Luncheon and other

formal events and reproduced in the Newsletter can beobtained directly from:

www.michaelosullivanphotography.co.uk or michaelphotography@tiscali.co.uk

Telephone: 020 8363 8350

Epiphany Court & Luncheon 13th JanuaryWardens’ Court 24th FebruaryLadyday Court & Luncheon 31st MarchUnited Guilds’ Service 1st AprilANNUAL BANQUET 15th AprilWardens’ Court 11th MaySummer Event 20th-22nd MayElection of Sheriffs 24th JuneMidsummer Court and Luncheon 30th JuneElection Court 28th JulyWardens’ Court 8th SeptemberElection of the Lord Mayor 3rd OctoberMichaelmas Court and Awards Luncheon

20th October

Lord Mayor’s Show 12th NovemberWardens’ Court 1st DecemberCarol Service 16th December

Editor: Nigel Whiteheade-mail: nigelbw@tiscali.co.uk

Telephone: 01580 713302

Abook entitled Significant Figures in Arts & CraftsToday which features eighty six people in the UK,

including Bob Hobbs FWCB, is to be published shortly.The book has a recommended retail price of £25 but ifordered before going to press is available for £15 plus p&p.An abbreviated version of the book can be viewed on lineat www.significantfigures.derekreayphotography.co.uk.For a copy of the book contact David Reay, tel: 07702786643 or 01753 864929. All proceeds from the sale of thebook will be donated to the charity, Diabetes UK.

Significant Figures in Arts & Crafts Today

Ironwork Judging SeminarIn the last issue of the Newsletter the Ironwork Judging

Seminar article included photographs of good and poor work.The good work included new railings in wrought iron, installedat the British Olympic Association offices in London, which was the work of Yorkshire based blacksmith Chris Topp & CoLimited, as was the scrollwork also shown here.

New railings in wrought iron Scrollwork in wrought iron