The blacksmiths founded in the 1970s creating beautiful functional items where the work ‘just keeps coming’
Watch Pete Clutterbuck, who opened his blacksmiths in Portsmouth in 1970, discuss the satisfaction he gets from making things and why he thinks the internet has helped the trade and his business.
Pete Clutterbuck is a self-taught blacksmith based in Portsmouth.
Pete attended Portsmouth Art College, before opening his business in 1970 - of which he says, “he loves every minute”.
Pete’s work is visible across Portsmouth - from the Daedalus statue in Lee-on-theSolent to the bandstand in Southsea.
Blacksmith Pete Clutterbuck says “The pride of actually making things is what gets me up in the morning”
Pete, who is based at The Forge in Osborne Road, Southsea, said: “Every job is a different job, there's huge variety and it is just so satisfying, so to manipulate such hard material when it's hot and soft into something that is beautiful and functional.
“Thing is I've always loved work and it's proper work, you don't have to worry about whether it's right or not because you're doing it and you're making it right as you see it. We do our own thing, we don't have people looking over our shoulder saying, ‘I want it done this way’ or ‘that way’, we choose how to make it so it's very much ours and we very much feel that we own it, we're proud of it, you know, it's something that's come from within us, it is a creative thing.
“There's such satisfaction in making things and going to work and doing it, you know, it's not like sitting down at a desk. Ironically, I do all the paperwork here now and it's the worst part of the job, by far.
“It is in decline and because people just don't think, if they can't buy it in B&Q, they think, ‘oh well I can't get it’, so they don't get it made. There's not that mindset anymore of people getting things made to order, which it isn't that expensive and you can get what you want.
“I mean there used to be a blacksmith on every corner really. There's a hard core of blacksmiths that do specialist work, artistic, and very skilled way and I suppose it can only continue as long as people want that sort of thing. I mean in restoration and stuff, well, you know, there's a limited amount of work there, but most people think it's a thing of the past, they don't even know what an anvil is anymore.
“Luckily, I think the internet has been superb for us because it shows people what can be done and if people have the imagination and the will to do it then they'll commission it. The work comes from all sorts of corners and it just keeps coming for us, but we're very lucky. It's hard to get established, but yeah, there is work out there, but not nearly enough.”