The Blacksmith by Stephen Adam, c 1878, one of a series of twenty stained glass windows made for Maryhill Burgh Hall showing local trades and professions. This window shows a blacksmith at work hammering a piece of metal on an anvil with the furnace behind him. A colleague looks on.
In Glasgow the Incorporation of Hammermen can trace its foundation back to the 16th century, but there must have been blacksmiths practising their trade in and around the city for hundreds of years before then. By the 19th century there were still many small traditional firms kept busy shoeing horses and creating all manner of relatively small metal items for domestic and industrial use. However, they were literally dwarfed by the huge new forges built by mighty industrial enterprises such as William Beardmore & Co at Parkhead.
Reference: 621.86.36
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
anvils, blacksmiths, forges, furnaces, Incorporation of Hammermen, Maryhill Burgh Halls, smithies, stained glass windows