Willenhall Forge

From Steptoe ponies to racehorses, the Smith brothers from Essington are the country's best farriers.

At Essington on the outskirts of Willenhall in the West Midlands brothers Neville and Ron Smith combine work in their blacksmith's forge with competition success in their chosen craft. From horseshoes to ornamental work the brothers tell reporter Lionel Hampden what it means to be a farrier in 1965.

Neville Smith was crowned British champion farrier three times between 1963 to 1965. When he died in 2013 the seven apprentices he trained, each over a period of six years, returned to Wolverhampton to carry the coffin at his funeral.