The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Willenhall Forge
From Steptoe ponies to racehorses, the Smith brothers from Essington are the country's best farriers.
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Overview
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.
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