Sparks fly as blacksmithing returns to Gretna Green for first time in more than 150 years
Newlyweds offered chance to create memento of special day
It is a trade that was synonymous with the so-called anvil priests who presided over the nuptials of generations of runaway couples and forged their lives together in an unbreakable bond.
But more than 150 years after the last anvil was struck in earnest, the iconic wedding destination of Gretna Green is once more ringing out to the din of a local blacksmith.
In what has been described as a way of bringing its storied history to life, the trade has been restored to the village for the first time since the late 19th century.
Joe Shevelan, a 24 year-old who trained for six years to become a blacksmith and now specialises in creating bespoke metalwork, has set up a new forge in the world-renowned Famous Blacksmiths Experience.
Mr Shevelan can help newlyweds press their own souvenir coins to take home. Even more adventurous couples can make their own pokers thanks to a smithy experience offering, or take part in a course in which they create a personalised, intertwined heart keepsake. In a village where around 4,000 couples get married each year, he can expect a roaring trade.
“To be part of bringing blacksmithing back to Gretna Green after more than 150 years is incredibly special,” he said.
“When visitors step inside, they’ll see the glow of the fire, hear the ring of the hammer on steel and experience the atmosphere of a working forge for themselves.
“Working with traditional tools and techniques, they’ll leave with a real understanding of a craft that has been part of Gretna Green’s story for centuries.”
Since his workshop opened last month in Scotland’s wedding capital, Mr Shevelan, from Cumbria, said the experience had been “amazing and challenging” in ways he had not considered, with visitors enthralled by his day-to-day working techniques.
“As soon as I put hammer to steel, people appear out of nowhere to watch, even it’s making a simple thing,” he added.
Although blacksmithing has long been synonymous with Gretna, the trade was gradually phased out as the lucrative business of conducting weddings grew in prominence.
The famous blacksmith's shop once did a roaring trade in shoeing horses and repairing farming tools at the intersection of five major coaching roads, but it is understood it had ceased metalworking altogether in the late 19th century after it was purchased by Hugh Mackie.
The reintroduction of the trade forms part of an £8 million redevelopment project at the Dumfries and Galloway bolthole, which began last year with the creation of a new 95-seater café and a re-vamped food hall.
Michelle Henry, head of the attraction and events at the Famous Blacksmiths Experience, said the new offering helped add to the experience for visitors.
“The return of the working blacksmith is about much more than opening a new attraction,” she explained. “It allows us to tell the story that sits at the heart of Gretna Green, helping visitors better understand the role blacksmiths played in making the village famous.
“Most importantly, it brings a part of our history to life in a way that visitors can see, hear and experience for themselves.”
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