The history of the famous British ironworks and anvil
manufacturer. A book for collectors, historians and those interested in anvils.
Spèiral-Bound, 108 Pages and Color and B&W Illustrations on
heavy paper.
The following is from a newspaper article written by British
journalist, Ron Clayton:
Hillsborough & District Journal, 27 May 2004 (England):
ONE of the pleasures of life I rediscover from time to time
is reading, as well as listening to Radio 4 and Radio Sheffield.
At the moment I have on my lap a beautiful little book fit
to grace the Warring and Gillow coffee table in Worrall.
It’s a history of Mousehole Forge, Malin bridge, and is
beautifully and comprehensively illustrated.
It's written by an American chap, Richard A. Postman,
together with the owners and rescuers of the ruins of the Forge, John and Julia
Hatfield.
I could wax lyrical over the fascinating story of Mousehole
anvils and their place in Shefield's Industrial history, a story of which I was
only vaguely aware.
One or two anecdotes for you about the book and the people
involved. Richard has obviously fallen in love with the place and his
photographs show the area at its most attractive, in autumn.
How can you not like a guy that refers to Supertram as an
'electric street car' and who includes a photograph of the front door of the
Anvil pub and a chapter on 'Miscellaneous and Ramblings'?
If we a can name our rural buses and historical characters,
why not our local MalinBridge 'street car'?
How about 'Desire'?
John and Julia will be known to quite a few locals, former
apothecaries, who after many years of grinding pestle into mortar and
dispensing pharmaceuticals to all and sundry, took on a task akin to cleansing
the Augean Stables, in restoring a bit of Sheffield history. John has had ill
health recently but his reputation as a devotee of the art of table tennis, one
of his many enthusiasms, remains robust.
I remember the time he and I lugged the date stone of Upper
Owelerton Wheel into Mousehole, where it remains today to preserve a link to a
piece of industrial history whose site is not a car park.
While 'Mousehole Forge' was written by an American with an overseas market in mind (surprising how others value our history while we don't) it’s also one for we locals to enjoy, as Richard exhorts us to.
Check out ---> Secrets of the Forge: Beginning & Intermediate Projects for Blacksmiths
Also see ---> The Blacksmith's Project Book: Intermediate & Advanced Projects from European Masters
Great reviews!!---> FORGED: Making a Knife with Traditional Blacksmith Skills