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History

Now a local landmark for its exuberant displays of sculptured metalwork, Mere Brow Smithy started in 1875 as two plain fuctional buildings in handsome handmade brick. These replaced the original wattle and daub smithy just over the road, which has been demolished. The larger building was the smithy

and the other started life as a separatly-run wheelwright's shop.

The two businesses merged in the early 1900s, owned first by local man Thomas Moss, then by his sons Sam and John who took over in 1950. The two brothers were skilled craftsmen and much in demand in a largely agricultural area of heavy horses which needed shoeing and even heavier machinery which needed mending.

There are fond memories in the village of the brothers during their almost 40 years partnership. Quiet men, they developed a kind of telepathy, each knowing when the other needed a hand without a word or even a glance between them. The horses didn't have to wait long to be shod - the smithy rafters were

packed with sets of ready-made shoes for every horse in the district. They had an unusual sideline too - Sam's skills extended to cutting hair, so on Mondays and Friday nights the smithy doubled up as a barber-shop.

By the late 1990s the smithy's function had changed. With farm horses long gone and the arrival of the mobile farrier, ornamental metalwork was the order of the day when brothers Tom and Danny

Murphy took over in 2000. Both have enorous skill and inventiveness along with enthusiasm that's needed to create a thriving business. They've never been busier and have great plans for the future, including a new range of indoor furniture. They've also planning to build a studio for two day workshops where you will be able to learn the basics of metalwork and create your own sculpture to take home. So watch this space - when its up and running you'll be the first to know.