Renovation - Let's Fire Up The forge- Part One

When we were looking to purchase our own smallholding, the space for our business to grow and thrive was a non negotiable so, when we viewed our now farm, the old Shippon was the perfect candidate for the forge. Some of it, as you may already have seen, has been transformed in our floristry and willow workshop with the other half now occupied by our forge and blacksmith's workshop!

Firstly, we had to get the forge from our previous property two hours away. Armed with an Enterprise tail lift van, determination and blind enthusiasm, we managed to manhandle the forge into position in what would be the future blacksmith's workshop.

It started out as a sort of a dumping ground, filled with a fair bit of rubbish from the previous owners, so once we'd cleared it out (a couple of skips later) we could really see the bones of the space. Some beautiful stone work (and a few rough patch jobs, but we can improve those in time), nice tall ceiling, good air flow and space for storage. We also uncovered a raised concrete lip, maybe once making up a trough or somewhere to put hay and silage...however a big trip hazard, not great for someone working with fire, heat and what can be dangerous equipment, so our first job was to smash this down to create a much smaller step which now houses the coal and coke for the forge along with stock metal. So, sledge hammer in hand, Ric once again found himself in a homemade rage room, breaking the proverbial eggs in order to make the omelette...

After this, we decided that our main focus should be sorting the roof, why you might ask, it was water tight, and in relatively good repair... it was also asbestos. After three HazMat suited gentleman arrived and removed, bagged and shipped off the big bad sheets it was down to use to replace to roof. Again, we've always said we'll do most if not all of the renovations ourselves, apart from anything what a fantastic opportunity and learning curve, not to mention the pennies we're saving, so the forge roof was just another project we thought we'd give a go... This time with the added jeopardy of heights, how exciting! We did have a quote from one roofer for over £10,000, safe to say, we stopped breathing for a minute, thanked him kindly and thought no thanks, we've got this.

We went for tiled effect metal sheeting which sits slightly off the concrete of the walls, perfect for air flow and ventilation in the forge. It looks similar to the tiled roof next to it whilst being cost effective and quick to sort. It took us under a day to replace the roof, shimmying back and forward screwing into the wooden roof beams already in place (and thankfully in good condition). A major job done, for less than quarter of the quoted price including the removal of the asbestos sheets, that's what we like to hear! It did of course decide to rain while we were roofing, the elements blatantly ignoring the nice TV weather forecaster who had ensured us of a dry, fair day...

Next job, now there was no risk of damaging or disturbing any asbestos, was to drill a hole in the wall and fit the chimney for the forge. This proved to be one of the harder jobs, flipping heck the walls are thick, so one rented electric chisel later we could fit the duct and finally fire the up the forge!

Traditionally, there is a certain way a blacksmith's workshop should be set up, things need to go in a certain place and at a certain height to ensure you can work safely and quickly once metals are hot etc, so we had a few test drives as to where the anvil should be located along with two workbenches given where the forge needed to be situated. Ric settled on a layout and we reopened the forge to commissions and creating beautiful items for our online store and to be sold at fairs. Making sure another artisan trade continues for years to come.

Now, this is only part one of the forge renovation. We're all for aesthetically pleasing workspaces, even the forge, so Ric will be painting the walls, sorting the modern bricked patches and giving the space lots of retro character. Of course, we'd love to have a traditional 1800 century stone forge, but that's just not realistic here, so check out part two of our forge renovation to see where we go next with this exciting chapter.