Willenhall Forge

From the collection of

Media Archive for Central England
MACE is the strategic lead organisation for screen heritage for the East and West Midlands regions. An independent charity based at University of Lincoln, MACE preserves and makes accessible a collection of more than 100,000 historic moving images representative of the diverse cultures and histories of communities throughout the heart of England from the Lincolnshire coast to the Welsh border.

Willenhall Forge (ATV Today)


From Steptoe ponies to racehorses, the Smith brothers from Essington are the country's best farriers.

At Essington on the outskirts of Willenhall in the West Midlands brothers Neville and Ron Smith combine work in their blacksmith's forge with competition success in their chosen craft. From horseshoes to ornamental work the brothers tell reporter Lionel Hampden what it means to be a farrier in 1965.

Neville Smith was crowned British champion farrier three times between 1963 to 1965. When he died in 2013 the seven apprentices he trained, each over a period of six years, returned to Wolverhampton to carry the coffin at his funeral.


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