This forge has been the village smithy for generations. As you walk down Feidr Fawr towards Tegfan, you’ll see J E Thomas and Son on the righthand side, not long after leaving the main road. It doesn’t look special – just an ordinary old fashioned shed , but it’s worth stopping to look at the display outside.
Most of their work is undoubtably routine – fencing, repair of farm machinery and farm gates but there are also amazing flights of fancy from this creative and inspiring family.
Inside, you can see photos of the commissioned and special projects but, of course, the blacksmiths are often out on business at the local farms. If you can catch the Thomases at home you can get an idea of the range of projects they have undertaken; the best way, however, is to look carefully around you during your stay in Dinas. Tegan’s garden gates were made by a previous generation of Thomases – I’ll show you the more recent pieces I have seen in the village another time.
If you want to find out more about the Thomas’ forge you might like to know that they featured in the ‘One Day for Life’ book of amateur photos published in 1987 .
They also have a website.
Eifion, I need a replacement for my multi-fuel stove. It’s the loosely fitted plate that deflects the smoke forward to make it accelerate, and is a simple heavy-gauge plate with two horizontal ‘folds’ to turn it from a flat sheet into a sort of open Z shape. Can I bring the present distorted one up tomorrow and wait while you bend a new one? Overall, the blank is 11″x17″.
I have forwarded your message to the Thomas’ website. I think you must have sent it to me in error.