Global effort creates Ironbridge museum sculpture

It became a forging together of not just skill, but passion and devotion for an ancient profession that is still alive and well today.

A total of 75 blacksmiths travelled to Ironbridge from all over the country and abroad to help create the 2.5-metre-tall sculpture to mark 300 years of iron production at Blists Hill.

The event was the brainchild of the British Artist Blacksmiths Association, which is preparing to celebrate its 35th anniversary.

The creation of the sculpture, which now stands in Enginuity, was part of their international AGM and hands-on conference, which this year was held at Blists Hill Victorian Town.

It is the third time the association has come to Shropshire for this important event in the last 10 years.

Blacksmiths travelled from far afield including America, Belgium and France as well all from all over England, Scotland and Wales to work in teams creating the sculpture.

Sadly no artist blacksmith from Shropshire took part in the event but the historic atmosphere at Blists Hill certainly proved inspiring for those who went along.

The blacksmiths arrived at the museum for the three-day meeting in August for an event that was as much about creating the sculpture as it was about passing down skills to the next generation.

As much of the forged work as possible was done at Blists Hill, with the 75 blacksmiths working in small teams, each forging components for an individual section of the finished sculpture.

Finishing work took place later before the sculpture was finally installed last month at Enginuity, one of the 10 Ironbridge museums. Around 800 kilogrammes of iron was used in total.

Tim Mackereth, honorary secretary of BABA, says: "The teams were formed by pulling names out of a hat.

"We made sure we had a mixture of professional and students."

The creation of the Ironbridge sculpture played an important part in letting experienced blacksmiths pass on their skills to others.

Several members are silver medal holders with the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, including Terence Clark, from Guildford, Stephen Lunn, from Northumberland and Steve Rook, from London, who all passed on their skills.

Blacksmiths included representatives from the Lottery-funded National Heritage Ironwork Group, the Design and Forgework Skills course and Herefordshire College of Technology, which runs a block release training course.

Mr Mackereth, 50, from Lincolnshire, who has been a blacksmith for 10 years, says: "You never go to one of these things without leaving with something because they are extraordinary.

"People are keen to give up their weekend and take their time to pass on their skills to a new generation.

"It was fantastic in the summer in Blists Hill's ironworks, that is like the cathedral of iron and a fabulous place to hold an event.

"We have come to Shropshire three times in the last 10 years and it always goes very well. It is a tremendous place and there is a lot of interest from the public.

"The design was chosen by the museum. Eleven blacksmiths from the younger end of our membership were asked to come up with designs based around the theme 'what has iron ever done for us'.

Twenty-seven-year-old Olly Boyett was the lucky blacksmith whose concept was chosen.

Olly, who lives in York, is proud of his achievements.

"I have been to-ing and fro-ing and meeting people working on the sculpture for about a year now," he says.

"It has been great and a good opportunity for me to build up my skills.

"I work for a company, Chris Topp & Co, and I do not get much opportunity to come up with designs. You cannot buy experience like that, working with some of the best blacksmiths in the country. It was wonderful."

Olly, who is dyslexic, has been a blacksmith for 11 years.

He said: "Eventually I would like my own business and it is experience like this that I need.

"We were given a brief to design something to mark 300 years since Abraham Darby took the first leap to smelt coke with iron which kickstarted the Industrial Revolution.

"I wanted to do something that was quite industrial that harps back to the fact that Darby was a foundryman and I tried to incorporate something of the foundry in my design."

The final design, which also includes features created by Matt Snape and David Frazier, represents foundry boxes which are filled with a variety of forged sculptural compositions.

The basic shape of the foundry boxes were pre-cut and folded before the AGM when they were hot-riveted together in full public view at Blists Hill to create the armature for the sculpture.

Paul Gossage, spokesman for the Ironbridge Gorge Museums, says: "This contemporary sculpture looks fantastic in Enginuity and is a lasting reminder of the area's rich heritage as one of the world's foremost iron producing areas and that the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site remains a place that inspires artists' creative minds."

Enginuity, which is open every day from 10am until 5pm, is one of the 10 Ironbridge Gorge Museums.