Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1748
  • Title
    Material regarding Shefford Forge
  • Date free text
    1912-1957
  • Production date
    From: 1912 To: 1957
  • Admin/biog history
    The Forge, Southbridge Street, Shefford ran by John Bird and Bryant Bird (Registered Shoeing Smith) In 1912, John Bird (aged 28) moved from Lutton, Northamptonshire to 9 Southbridge Street, Shefford to take over the blacksmith business. John paid William Whitbread, whose family ran the blacksmith business beforehand, in gold sovereigns (as mentioned in a local Bedfordshire newspaper in 1962 as part of an article celebrating 40 years of John Bird being a blacksmith in Shefford). In 1933 John’s son Bryant (aged 14) started working alongside his dad, until he left for the war. After returning from the war, Bryant returned to work in the forge and took over from his father in the early 1950s, but John would still pop in from time to time. In 1957, Bryant purchased the forge from C.E. Tingey (photo included of purchase details) and continued working there until 2000. Where it was: William Whitbread moved the business from Northbridge Street to Southbridge Street, which is where the forge was situated when John Bird took over. On the first edition Ordnance Survey 25 inches to the mile map of 1883 (Central Shefford), the smithy is marked on in plot 67 just behind St Michael’s Church, and off Southbridge Street. No job was too big or too small for John and Bryant. From sharpening garden shears and shoeing horses, to making implements and repairing large machinery. Bryant would even design and make ornate wrought-iron gates, and one of his proudest moments was creating a large mincing machine for the West End musical Les Mis (in the early 1990s). In the yard in front the forge was a wheelwright’s platform, which is where wooden wheels would receive their final metal rim. The blacksmith’s job was to construct a metal outer-rim to fit snugly on the wooden wheel, which was only possible by heating the metal to a very high temperature. Bryant also used high temperatures in a technique called ‘hot shoeing’. This is when the metal of a horseshoe is heated to a red hot heat so that the material is more malleable. Many people would prefer this process as it was said to provide a better fit. Hot shoeing would fill the forge with a cloud of very pungent smoke, and his family could always tell when he’d been hot shoeing, as they could smell it on his clothes the instant he came home! During the early 1950s, John and Bryant would often take part in farrier competitions and put on horseshoeing displays at various agricultural shows, and would often return with prizes. In the late 1950s / early 1960s, Bryant would travel to shoe local horses. With no driving license or car, Bryant would strap all his tools onto the back of his bicycle, and sometimes his daughter would travel with him, sitting on a little seat at the front of the bike fixed to the crossbar. It took about an hour for Bryant to remove the shoes, trim the hooves, and give the horse a new set of shoes. In the mornings he’d tend to be in the forge, then would travel to different locations in the afternoon, always making sure the job was done well. In the mid 1960s Bryant learnt to drive and bought a van which enabled him to travel further and quicker (which also gave his daughter a more comfortable journey!) Bryant always had time for everyone, and would often have groups of school children around the anvil explaining how things were done, which is an experience that has stayed in the memories of many Shefford inhabitants. Bryant continued working in the forge until 2000, when he sold it. The forge is no longer standing, but a group of volunteers collected many items with the hope of finding a permanent home for them. The forge was demolished in the mid to late 2000s after providing the community of Shefford with 200 years of service. source: Angela Wilson, 2021
  • Angela Wilson
  • Archival history
    The documents passed through the family to the daughter of Bryant Bird, who sent scans of the material to the archives service and provided the information on the history of the forge.
  • Level of description
    fonds
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