At last! I've finally managed to get back to putting something down in writing. It has been a busy old time! What with launching this lovely website and making sure it is all running smoothly, which I am happy to say it now is.

 

Christmas has been great and I'm pleased to report that a good number of sales were made through Made by Hands of Britain, including from the US! I am filled with much hope and excitement for the coming year.

 

In October, which seems such a long time ago now, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the MBHOB makers in person. I had been invited to appear on a the breakfast programme of a Nothwest Digital Channel Shine, to talk about MBHOB and the British handmaking indusrty in general.

 

I wanted to be able to take some examples of work onto the programme with me and as a result spent the weekend tearing around four counties picking up makers' work and as a result having the oportunity to meet with them - what a treat!

 

It really is no wonder that these people are inspired to create and make when they live in such lovely places.

 

Here are a couple of shots I took on my travels.

 

      

 

I was completely lost when I took this picture but I can think of worse places to be lost in.

 

 

                                                     

 

This was the view from Smantha and Andrew Bradley's house of "Bert and Doris". I looked everywhere for that pot of gold! This scene belies the fact that they live up in the wilds of the Staffordshire hills - a windswept yet beautiful and clearly inspiring place.

 

Here is Samantha herself cuddling a couple of her adorable doll characters all made by herself at her dinining room table or (by her own admission) sometimes helped by her husband Andrew when they spend the long winter nights cuddled up in bed, filling the dolls with fluffy stuffing. Now there's dedication!

 

 

                                                     

 

Also in Staffordshire, I met with Charis Jones, the local and first lady blacksmith at the Etruria Industrial Museum who makes everything from jewellery to large scale architectural metalwork for public use and display. Go Charis!!

 

 

                                                      

 

Next to Malpas in Cheshire, where I met the very interesting John Bourne. A man on a mission when it comes to cheese. I was told in no uncertain terms that I must wait outside so as not to contiminate the ripening, while Mr. Bourne recorded his findings regarding his latest cheese experiment, the Anniversary Blue Cheshire, which as I was fortunate enough to taste it, I can safely say is absolutely delicious and truly unique. It's no wonder; the Bourne family have been making cheese for more than 80 years! They probably know what they're doing by now.

 

 

                                                     

 

Once in Greater Manchester (at the TV studios in fact), I was able to meet up with David Tragen, Furniture Designer Maker, who hand crafts the most beautiful contemporary furniture and wooden accessories, such as clocks and ligthing. David has a studio at the Islington Mill in Salford.

 

 

                                     

 

Also Charlotte Verity, with whom I met at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. She has perfected the technique of creating beads in the form of glass bubbles, which she somehow infuses with prescious metals such as gold, silver and platinum. Alchemy indeed! These are then made into the most beautiful pieces of jewellery. Charlotte has a studio at the Manchester Craft Centre in the Bohemian Northern Quarter.

 

 

                                                     

 

Part of my travels seemed a little like a treasure hunt as I had to find things like jewellery left in a secret place by Claire Troughton and to top it off, on my return home I found the most delectable box of chocolates in my porch, left by Karen Hunnisett of Simply Cocoa. No guesses for what Gilly did next!

 

What a journey! But what an adventure too and meeting such lovely, unique and dedicated characters along the way.

 

One thing to mention is that since this time, poor Claire Troughton, who despite being faced with utter ruin after losing her studio with all it's contents to a fire, is picking herself up, dusting herself off and starting all over again, the phoenix is truly rising from the ashes! This proves that makers are born not bred.

Chris Topp & Company has the distinction of being the only blacksmith company in the world today still rolling and supplying genuine wrought iron.

As such this rural north Yorkshire company, employing a unique team of traditional craftsmen, regularly undertakes commissions to restore ancient works of wrought iron in cathedrals and great buildings such as the Houses of Parliament.

However, rarely does his company have the opportunity to create in wrought iron a large new work of art such as a   reredos in a building as large and prestigious as Ely Cathedral. 

Chris Topp and his team have just finished constructing a five metre wide and five-metre high screen for Ely the cathedral’s Lady Chapel.    It is in a central location behind the altar and under the large main east window of the Chapel. This part of the cathedral dates back to the fourteenth century and still today daily services are held. An altar table and candle standards are also being made at Chris Topp’s workshops in Carlton Husthwaite near Thirsk.

       

The project comprises the largest piece of elaborate ecclesiastical wrought iron work created by the Chris Topp Company in its 30-year history.  It is also possible that the screen is the largest piece of new ironwork placed in 900-year-old Ely Cathedral for nearly two centuries.  “We are proud to think that our new screen could remain in the cathedral for centuries” says Chris Topp.

“It has been a privilege for my company to have been commissioned to undertake this work and an honour for the talented group of traditional blacksmiths working with me” says Chris Topp.

The screen has been designed by John Maddison, a Cambridgeshire based artist and expert on medieval architecture.  “I was pleased to recommend Chris Topp for the commission of this intricate construction because I have worked with him before and am an admirer of the quality and skill of his team” says John.  He added: “Chris is very experienced in this field and brings his own personal contribution to the finished product”.

The work has been done in traditional style, emulating the high standard of craftsmen working in wrought iron for centuries and rarely practised today.  For example there is no modern electric welding of joints: instead the time-honoured use of wedges has been employed on the screen.

John Maddison’s design is very modern in concept and is cleverly arranged to show off the remains of an early, fourteenth century reredos, carved into the chapel wall.  A rectilinear framework is distinguished by the use of blacksmith-made pierced joints held together in time-honoured fashion by means of iron wedges. Projecting upper parts of the screen add another dimension while their style makes reference to their gothic surroundings.

Chris Topp & Company scours the world for ancient wrought iron that can be re-rolled for use today.  The screen for Ely Cathedral was made with wrought iron that previously was part of large chains raised from the seabed of the former Gibraltar naval dockyard! The use of wrought iron, well known for its long life, as well as being a joy for the smiths to work with, will guarantee that the reredos will last for a few centuries to come.

Technical Information and Interesting Facts

• Year built - 2011
• Idea first conceived - Started to explore the possibilities of refurbishing the East End of the Chapel in 2006.
• Commissioned by - Ely Cathedral
• Funding - Friends of Ely Cathedral
• Designer - John Maddison
• Materials: - Screen - genuine wrought iron with cast iron cyphers, Alter – Mild Steel Candle Stick – Wrought iron
• Hours to build - 235
• Hours to install on site - 146
• Staff involved - Rolling Mill Team – rolling the wrought iron - Mike De Renzis & Andy Whitehead Blacksmiths & Crafts Persons - Arek Kropidlowski, Oliver Boyett, Annabel Liquori.  Site Install team - Phil Beckwith, Mike De Renzis, Oliver Boyett and Annabel Liquori.

Comments from John Maddison the Designer

“The quality of the iron work is really lovely and from the moment that the first sections were placed against the medieval reredos it looked completely at home in the building. You can never tell how such a thing is going to work until it is installed and I was duly apprehensive but the result is exactly what I had hoped for. Needless to say the design was greatly improved by the powerfully expressive joints which you devised. The whole thing has a strongly medieval character seems to me worthy of its remarkable setting.”

• Location : Ely

• Client : Ely Cathedral

• Designer : John Maddison

• Year : 2011

• Material: Wrought Iron

 

The National Heritage Ironwork Group’s (NHIG) first eight trainees, selected from applicants from all over the UK, on their Heritage Blacksmiths Bursary training programme will start on the 23^rd May. These semi-skilled blacksmiths, six men and two women, will be the first to receive one year of specialised Blacksmith Conservator training as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) ‘Skills for the Future’ programme.

 

It has long been recognised that our Heritage Ironwork has suffered from a lack of readily available trained and skilled practitioners in conservation practice and although there are several high quality firms specialising in restoration ironwork the size of our ironwork heritage is so vast it means that inappropriate and damaging processes and treatments are being applied countrywide to often unique and irreplaceable artefacts almost on a daily basis.

 

The NHIG Heritage Blacksmith Bursary has been put in place to address this need by providing the beginnings of a skilled and experienced cohort of practitioners able to not only work on sensitive ironwork artefacts but also work effectively with fellow professionals in the field. It is an advanced training program that broadens the skills and experience of blacksmiths involved in historic ironwork repairs by bringing together the best of blacksmithing craft practise and the philosophy and ethics of conservation.

 

44 year old bursary student Alexander Coode said; ‘I am passionate about the heritage of ironwork and feel that the protection of antique ironwork is of vital importance for the conservation of heritage sites and am keen to play whatever role is possible in support of this aim. I believe that the completion of the Heritage Blacksmith course would be an invaluable asset in establishing the necessary benchmarks to be followed in undertaking any future restoration project.’

 

The course is a one year full time commitment catering for eight students per year, with a total number of sixteen, over the two year programme. It provides real and relevant training by being made up of a series of practical skill based and conservation based work placements. The first placement is at Hampton Court Palace where they will gain practical experience of ironwork conservation and holding repair works under the supervision of a specialist conservator. In July they will learn pure conservation in a museum environment, at Hereford Museum, The Royal Armouries and Birmingham Museum where amongst other things they will have the chance to work on the Staffordshire Hoard of mediaeval goldsmiths’ work. Thereafter the students will visit a number of established blacksmiths’ workshops for periods of on-the-job training. Chris Topp & Co based in Tholthorpe and Carlton Husthwaite will host all eight of this years students between July and May 2012.

 

The bursary programme has been enhanced by the inclusion of a five week block release course in the conservation of ironwork at Hereford College of Technology (HCT) – the leading British training establishment for forge work skills. The HCT syllabus has been specially developed to complement the work based learning in order that the student receives a holistic education programme with essential underpinning knowledge. Trainees will attend HCT for one week at a time between workshop placement swaps.

 

The bursary will culminate in the achievement of the NHIG Award for Blacksmithing Conservation. This is a competency work based award covering specialist units in forge work conservation which formally offers students the opportunity to demonstrate the skills gained during the course. The award standards are derived from Construction Skills National Occupation Standards for Heritage skills level 3 blacksmithing option route with an assessment process that reflects the accepted NVQ Level 3 model. This is aimed at ensuring long lasting value and recognition of the qualification gained and the possibility of linkage to any future courses that are developed from this programme after it has ended.

 

The college part of this programme is seen as the first step in the process of developing and building a permanent heritage blacksmithing training route. Although current funding will run out after two years the project is intended to be the pump priming for an ongoing requirement for training and a qualification in the sector. This is seen as a requirement at present in other built heritage craft sectors when engaging individuals / companies and the field of heritage ironwork deserves no less. NHIG are not alone in this view and are proud to announce that having reviewed our training plan English Heritage have endorsed this programme.

 

Bill Martin, Conservation Director for English Heritage said ‘The field of architectural metals conservation has for too long awaited a framework to successfully bind together the essential skills of the metals conservator and the conservation blacksmith; the aims of the National Heritage Ironwork Group will go a long way to deliver this. English Heritage fully supports these aims and we intend to contribute in every way that we can to ensure their successful development.'

 

For more information on the bursary aims and objectives as well as how it has been set up and is being run you can download the ‘Heritage Blacksmiths Bursary Programme Overview’ from the bursaries page of the NHIG website at www.nhig.org.uk

 

END

Notes to Editors;

1. Students; Adrian Wolfe 57 yrs old, Alexander Coode 44 yrs old, David Johnston 41 yrs old, Joshua Burrell 21 yrs old, Matthew Boultwood 28 yrs old, Joanne Adkins 27 yrs old, Simon Doyle 37 yrs old, Joanna Williams 41 yrs old.  
2.  Interviews are available from; Chris Topp, NHIG Chairman 01845 50 14 15 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            01845 50 14 15      end_of_the_skype_highlighting / 07773 368 643 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            07773 368 643      end_of_the_skype_highlighting and Adrian Phillips, Surveyor of the Fabric for Historic Royal Palaces 020 3166 6380 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            020 3166 6380      end_of_the_skype_highlighting / 07721 649 536 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            07721 649 536      end_of_the_skype_highlighting and Adrian Legge, Senior Blacksmithing Tutor Hereford College of Technology 07921 083 231 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            07921 083 231      end_of_the_skype_highlighting 
3.  Photographs; 3no NHIG Heritage Blacksmith Bursary Students May 2011 images attached. For more images of the students during w/c 23^rd May at Hereford College please contact Adrian Legge 07921 083 231 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            07921 083 231      end_of_the_skype_highlighting adrian.legge@yahoo.com 
4.  National Heritage Ironwork Group; Founded in 2009 NHIG is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the safeguarding and preservation of historic wrought ironwork through the promotion of appreciation for the medium and high standards of workmanship, conservation and repair. The Heritage Blacksmith Bursary Project is based upon the National Occupational Standards for Heritage Blacksmithing which NHIG established with Construction Skills in 2010. Website; www.nhig.org.uk
5. Skills for the Future;  The Heritage Lottery Fund's Skills for the Future programme is supporting heritage organisations across the UK to create new training places.  Grants range from £100,000 to £1million for a number of traineeships with an emphasis on high-quality work-based training.  The programme will help equip organisations to engage with the widest possible range of people and inspire them to get involved with heritage. 
6. Heritage Lottery Fund; Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects, allocating £4.5billion across the UK.  Website: www.hlf.org.uk For more information please contact Katie Owen, HLF press office, on tel: 020 7591 6036/07973 613820.
7. Funding; This project has been made possible thanks to funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, British Artist Blacksmiths Association, Construction Skills, Eastlake & Beachell Ltd - Insurance, Historic Royal Palaces, The Ironmongers’ Company, York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship and Orchard House (IFAs) Ltd – Holistic Independent Financial Advice.

 

Further Information; David James, 07544 25 63 2   davejames@me.com (or after 31^st May Bethan Griffiths, NHIG Secretary, T; 01483 20 20 27 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            01483 20 20 27      end_of_the_skype_highlighting   E; info@nhig.org.uk)

 

                                                          

When a young enthusiastic and ambitious Chris Topp started up his own blacksmith business in rural North Yorkshire, he could not have dreamt that 30 years later he could boast amongst his clients Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Hampton Court and a long list of stately homes, cathedrals and major historic public and commercial buildings.

This year, 2012, is the 30th anniversary Chris Topp Ltd. The company is now regarded as the market leader in Britain in the restoration of heritage ironwork, particularly in their speciality of genuine wrought iron.   They believe they are the only company in the world still producing wrought iron!

They also have an excellent reputation in the design and production of new high quality ironwork, working not only in wrought iron, but with a variety of metals – cast iron, mild and stainless steel, bronze, brass and copper included.  

And while Chris Topp appreciates the prestige and image boost that results from working on large national heritage sites, he and his team are equally at home creating small objects making repairs to churches ‘ ironwork and commissions for private houses.

The company also administer within their two rural workshops north of York, the Real Wrought Iron Company which produces charcoal and puddled wrought iron which is both used in their own work and supplied to other blacksmiths. Genuine wrought iron -resistant to corrosion- can last centuries and was produced many centuries before the industrial revolution eventually lead to the introduction of mass-produced mild steel.

Today the company has 15 employees including a number of highly skilled smiths with various specialist forging experience – a far cry from Chris and one young apprentice back in 1982. He recalls his proud first commission of making the historic ironwork at Middleton Hall near York when it became a luxury hotel. It earned him £9,000, a huge sum in those days.

Over the years there has been steady growth in the company which is now fortunate to regularly handle contracts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds from well-known commercial and government bodies.

Chris has a real passion particularly in the field of restoration of ancient ironwork, and new ironwork for ancient buildings. A good example was made last year (2011) when the company created a new altar screen for Ely Cathedral using ancient materials and techniques but to a modern design. Says Chris Topp: “it gives my team and I quite a thrill when we realise that this item is likely to remain in this location, untouched for centuries”. The screen and accompanying items were made in genuine wrought iron and re-rolled from anchor chains acquired from the former Gibraltar naval yard.

There is a huge public misconception on what is genuine wrought iron however Chris Topp & Co are experts in the field. Often any form of intricate iron work in gardens or on gates and railings is incorrectly referred to as being ‘wrought iron’ while in fact being made in cast iron or mild steel.   You are certainly not likely to find any product in your local DIY store made of genuine wrought iron and the difference in value between the ‘real thing’ and imitations is enormous as is the life expectancy of the two products.

It is of no surprise therefore that the company is often called in by Trading Standards officers and other bodies to advise as to the authenticity of an alleged item of ‘wrought iron’. ‘Important’ says Chris, ‘because of the need to increase the understanding of the production of traditional iron materials’.

To Chris too many priceless pieces of historic wrought iron are being ruined forever by the repair or restoration with iron and steel materials and not real wrought iron.   He works tirelessly in the field of metallurgy and archaeology in raising the standard of restoration work by blacksmiths and bodies working in the field of historic buildings. He is frequently consulted on archaeology by bodies such as the BBC ‘Time Team’ film makers.

As Chris Topp looks to the future he has increasing worries about the training of new entrants to heritage ironwork. He was a leading light in the formation in 2009 of the National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG).

NHIG aims to preserve the skills of ancient ironwork smiths and thanks to help from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant awarded under its ‘Skills for the Future’ programme has set up a training bursary. There is little formal training for heritage blacksmiths in the Europe and Chris Topp and Co frequently employ other nationalities keen to gain experience in ornamental design and restoration work.

Chris would also like to see the profile of blacksmiths raised and their artistic work recognised as an art form. Although there are thousands of great ornamental ironwork items in this country blacksmiths are seldom represented as artists.

Chris would like to encourage the incorporation of high quality ornamental metalwork into the design of prestigious new buildings. The provision of gates and railings is often left to last when they are the first thing visitors see and the opportunity is lost to give that all important first good impression?

Would you like to work for Ironart? We are seeking an apprentice…

 

Do you know anyone who would be interested in working for us as an apprentice? We are offering a position which is to start in January 2012. The team of blacksmiths here at Ironart are highly skilled and have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to anyone looking to start a career in metalworking.  Ideally candidates should be 18+, motivated,  hardworking and with a keen eye for detail. Here is the advert we’ve posted locally - please spread the word!

 

NB: NEWSFLASH!!!  WE HAVE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICANTS TO MONDAY 16th JANUARY 2012.

          Ironart Apprenticeship Advert – December 2011

 

Please telephone 01225 311273 or contact us via email for further enquiries.