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24 January

21st Century Blacksmiths

Written by Juliet Fishenden

All of us in the U.K. have lived with wrought iron for most of our lives. It’s found everywhere. Ancient ironwork smashed into pleasing shapes, structures and intricate patterns is still with us, the march of time barely giving it a second glance. Wrought iron hangs up our bread boards, stores our wine, clads our ships and provides France with her most enduring icon.

The industrial revolution may have turned our heads towards the new mechanical means of production but handmade, handcrafted ironwork still holds an incomparable allure. In fact, in the 21^st century, wrought ironwork and its blacksmiths have returned with some vigour as the desire for material permanence has trumped the built in obsolescence of the poorly made product.

The last commercial wrought ironworks factory closed in 1974 but despite this, the skill of ‘working’ iron (‘wrought’ is an archaic form of ‘worked’) is still with us and the products highly prized and appreciated for their quality. From the beauty of the Farrier’s Cage Six Circle Globe Chandelier to the humble handle, iron still just works.

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29 December

New Product Launch – The Beehive Pendant Lights

Written by Juliet Fishenden

The Beehive is a hand-forged lamp using both traditional blacksmithing and modern metal forming techniques. The metal is hot forged and the edges hammered giving it a unique wavy line finish. The design is a result of Anthony Dickens’ continued exploration in creating contemporary forged metal products with Richard at Made by the Forge.

Previewed at the Heal’s Festival of Light in October, the Beehive Pendant is based on the classic layered beehive shape, finished with beeswax straight from the hive and given some individual character by Richard’s craftsmanship.

The Beehive range will launch in February both in Heal’s and on our own website. The design is available in seven distinct variations. Showcasing two of them here, there’s the Beehive-Three-Cluster, a group of touching bulbs (illustrated below); and the Beehive Five Line Chandelier (above) which subverts the classic circular luminaire with a line of lights.

All will be revealed in February and if minimalism is your goal then there’s a single Beehive pendant suspended from a ceiling rose or free standing, bulb-up on a table along with the larger pieces.

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12 November

New solid iron lamp stands with Annette Rolston Lampshades

Written by Juliet Fishenden

We often turn to talent and craftsmanship in other disciplines to set off and compliment Made by the Forge’s products. For our new wrought iron standard lamps, designed by Chris Eckesley, we needed appropriate lampshades. When we saw the lovely work of Annette Rolston, we were compelled to collaborate with her and Mike Fenton to use their playful, artistic and distinctly British lampshades.

Annette and Mike specialise in painting and printmaking and take their inspiration from where else but the East Anglian countryside. Mike’s expertise is in his depiction of animals in the tiniest detail and both are experts in the craft of linocutting, the intricate art of creating an image by cutting into lino and taking prints off it.

Annette is drawn more to the abstract and creates patterned work though still based on nature’s varied landscapes especially trees and leaves. Sometimes her inspirations come from the cellular level where the abstract thrives in endless detail. The lamps and lampshades are available now (please email us for full pictures) and the relevant website pages will be up in the next week.

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17 December

May the Forge be with you!

Written by Juliet Fishenden

We are forging ahead with new ideas for more wrought iron products which we will offer you in 2016. In the spring we will be meeting up with our collaboration partners Anthony Dickens, Gareth Neal, Chris Eckersley and William Warren to bring you the best of British design made by British blacksmiths.

Richard is looking forward to the festive holiday and seeing the new Star Wars movie!

If you have a project you would like us to quote for? We are always happy to help. If you have an idea, email a sketch and we can take a look and let you know if we can make it. Alternatively just call us on 01473 487118 to talk it through.

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19 November

New Brochure

Written by Juliet Fishenden

The new Made by the Forge brochure has arrived. If you would like one please just send us a note, with the address you would like it sent to, and we will post it to you.

It showcases all our ironwork products and is designed to give you ideas for styling your home.

If you need any help, just call us on 01473 487118 or email sales@madebytheforge.co.uk. We are always happy to answer any questions; we pride ourselves on an efficient caring service.

Made by the Forge is different because we believe in making high quality ironwork that will last and last. All curtain poles are made to measure, so a perfect fit for your window is guaranteed. Simply key in your measurements online, using our helpful measuring guide, and see the price before placing your order.

It is always comforting to know that a tree is planted for every product sold, the ironwork is hand-crafted in our Suffolk forge and the beeswax, we use to finish the ironwork, is collected straight from a local hive.

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15 October

Tree to Table

Written by Juliet Fishenden

Using mixed materials to create something different has brought a wow factor to the above table and bench. The wrought iron legs are hand forged in our Suffolk forge using traditional, age old skills. There has been a lot of interest in the Tree to Table range which is a collaboration between Made by the Forge and the designers Anthony Dickens and Sebastian Cox.

Made by the Forge already plant a tree for every product they sell and have pledged to plant a tree for every table or bench sold. The planting takes place in Suffolk with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

The table and bench are available to view at the Celebration of Wood event in Heal’s, Tottenham Court Road store now. You have a choice of 4 beautiful table and bench tops, Ash, Sycamore, Beech or Oak, hand picked by Sebastian, and completely unique. The official launch is Spring 2016 but they are available to order by special arrangement.

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06 August

Wood and metal fusion

Written by Juliet Fishenden

Made by the Forge has recently begun a new venture with our known and trusted designer Anthony Dickens and another award winning designer and craftsman Sebastian Cox. The idea is to design a table which combines wrought iron and wood and fusing them together in a totally contemporary and stylish way.

Sebastian and Anthony below, hot from the forge, hammering and making design decisions and adjustments to the iron legs.

Another day was spent at Sebastian’s design studio and workshop where further adjustments and improvements were made until everyone was happy.

The table will be launched later this summer and will be available to buy exclusively from Heal’s.

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11 June

Heals Press Release, London, May 2015

Written by Juliet Fishenden

Heal’s supports British talent and craftsmanship with Made by the Forge
Above: Made by the Forge Farrier’s Cage pendant lights, exclusive to Heals, £750 each

Known for its long-standing commitment to supporting and nurturing British design talent, Heal’s is proud to be working with Suffolk-based ironwork forge, Made by the Forge for a new lighting collection created in collaboration with award-winning designer Anthony Dickens.

“We are very proud to deliver a range that pays tribute to the craft of blacksmithing in a modern and decorative way. Made by the Forge has successfully made Anthony’s designs come to life – each piece is both unique and inspirational,” says Melissa Muslin, Lighting Buyer at Heal’s.

Exclusive to Heal’s, Farrier’s Cage is a contemporary lighting range inspired by the quintessential British countryside and handmade in UK-sourced wrought iron using traditional rural skills. The iron is coated in natural beeswax – which is locally sourced from Suffolk bees – to reveal every hammer imprint below and to allow the metal to truly shine. All electrical components used are also sourced and produced in the UK.

Made by the Forge Farrier’s Cage metal bar with five long pendants, exclusive to Heal’s, £1850

Farrier’s Cage comprises an array of designs, from a single pendant light with decorative squirrel cage globe bulbs to a straight metal bar with teardrop pendant and suspended metal circle that hooks globe pendants. Each design is individually hammer crafted in Suffolk using centuries-old techniques, and hand finished to last a lifetime. To help promote sustainability, a tree is planted for each Farrier’s Cage sold.

Made by the Forge comments, “We wanted to create a range of beautiful, contemporary lights that strongly reflect the core values of what we do – simple, high-quality, honest, made to last and sustainable products.”

Anthony Dickens adds, “I wanted to celebrate the centuries-old tradition of blacksmithing, bring it up to date and make it relevant to a new audience. So we re-imagined an every day cage light by using design details and craft techniques unique to the forging process.”
Farrier’s Cage by Made by the Forge is available to buy exclusively at Heal’s as of July 2015. Prices start from £750.

Above: Made by the Forge Farrier’s Cage metal bar with three teardrop pendants, exclusive to Heal’s, £1200

Above: Made by the Forge Farrier’s Cage suspended metal circle with six globe pendants, exclusive to Heal’s, £2,400

Contact Details:

Caro Communications
For interviews and further details please contact Heal’s PR agency, Caro Communications: heals@carocommunications.com – 020 7713 9388
www.carocommunications.com
@carocomms
Jessica Knowles: jessica@carocommunications.com
Jeffrey Cheung: jeffrey@carocommunications.com

Heal’s
Image & loan requests:
Lauren Bardini, PR Assistant – pressoffice@heals.co.uk – 020 7896 7553

Heal’s has been designing, making and selling quality furniture for more than two centuries now, so it’s no surprise that it’s known as ‘the home of modern and contemporary designer furniture’. Starting out as bed-makers in 1810, and later embracing the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement, Heal’s has a long history of collaborating with prominent designers. It is as passionate today as it’s always been about introducing new ranges, discovering stars of the future and pushing the boundaries of outstanding contemporary design.

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05 February

Farrier’s Cage Light in Ideal Home magazine

Written by Juliet Fishenden

Ideal Home magazine has run a feature on Artisan Lighting. (March 2015, p16) They claim it as the ‘Next Big Thing’. We hope so and were thrilled to see our Farrier’s Cage Long light, designed by Anthony Dickens, featured alongside 4 other designer pendant lights. Ideal Home state that: ‘The Backlash to a throwaway society has prompted the revival of artisan craftsmanship. The latest luxury items are made using expert skills and traditional materials to create sustainable, memorable and unique pieces’.

“Re-imagining an everyday cage light by using design details unique to the forging process.” Anthony Dickens

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01 February

The Forge Chair

Written by Juliet Fishenden

Things from nature have something about them that are pleasant to the eye. It’s a part of the natural World that most of us humans can appreciate, especially when it is in the form of furniture. Most of us will have a piece of furniture made of wood or metal or a combination of the two in our houses. They work beautifully together. Richard remembers as a boy being in awe seeing the massive iron handles and hinges on his local Church door. “The huge oak panels and the blacksmithed hinges just seemed to merge together to become one”.

Crafts people have used both for centuries; partly because it was all they had. They made items to cherish, decorate and that were practical for their homes. We have always wanted to combine wood and metal together to make something special and so when Made by the Forge got the chance to work with designer Chris Eckersely and master craftsman Dave Green we were were really excited.

Chris (above) specialises in chairs and furniture made from wood. We invited Chris to our forge to learn some blacksmithing skills and then Chris went away and came up with plans for a wooden chair with forged ironwork integrated within it.

The back slats that are normally made of wood have been replaced by ironwork. We used a piece of round bar and then heated and forged it flat so that it would be softer to the seated persons back. The stay that joins the legs together was also made of iron. Chris decided to keep the whole piece natural and so we finished the iron parts of the chair in beeswax.

We took the ironwork parts to Dave Green, who owns the renowned British chair makers Sitting Firm. He had the task of making all the wooden parts and then putting the chair together. He carefully chose English Ash and Elm from the shores of Loch Lomond. Every chair is individual as the grain of the wood will never be the same, the hammer marks are never in the same spot so it is therefore a special and a true piece of traditional craftsmanship. The end result was a stunning piece of furniture.

If you would more information on this chair then please get in touch by calling us on: +44 (0)1473 487118 or to speak with Richard direct on 07787 542 860 or email us at sales@madebytheforge.co.uk.

Every chair is hand made and hand built by Made by the Forge and Sitting Firm. If you would like to sit on the chair and experience how comfortable it is then please call to arrange a sitting!

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