Blacksmith Display at the Historical Village
The Blacksmith was once the mainstay of any village or town in previous centuries. He created and repaired all types of metal objects in his forge. He also was the person who made and fitted shoes to horses and oxen, in fact he really was a “Jack of all trades”. Weapons and farm machinery were his specialities. The craft of blacksmithing is being kept alive at places like ours where volunteers practise the art. School groups in particular are fscinated by the fire, the red hot iron, the hammering and seeing the sparks fly. The double acting “Smiths Pattern” bellows in the pictures were restored by us and took two full cowhides to complete. These bellows date back to the late 1800’s and were made by Alldays & Onions of Birmingham, England. The blacksmith display area is next to the Coopers display and the Corn Shelling display.
Harold Collins is our craftsman Blacksmith and in addition to making the miniature horse shoes for our souvenirs, he has created several other unique items. Among them are a pair of dice made from one of the iron spikes which were part of the original Pialba railway line construction.
Click here to see a short video
Demonstrations are held every Sunday from 1pm to 3pm and also for group visits.
