The Forge

Charles Dickinson is a third generation Farrier and Blacksmith with over 40 years' experience now working as an ‘Artist Blacksmith’. Having served his apprenticeship, he worked as a General and Agricultural Blacksmith and Farrier. He took over the Forge in Wragby, West Yorkshire from his father in the late 1960s.

Our family and business moved to Kent in 1995 and set up at Sandhurst Farm in Newnham. When he retired from shoeing horses in the late 1990s, Charles concentrated on producing high quality commissioned work. Examples can can be found all over Kent, using traditional skills and tools and a smokeless fuel coke fire and anvil. His ambition as he moves towards retirement is to give more time to his art, looking at exhibiting his work in galleries!! We're not sure he will ever completely retire!!

You will also find some of his work in our own Studio Gallery which is open throughout the week.

Over the years Charles has passed on his expertise to those wishing to learn basic forging skills before going off to be an apprentice farrier. He has also run occasional experience taster sessions for those who want to ‘have a go’ and with an interest in learning some of the basic skills of a blacksmith.

From May 2022 he is planning to offer some more of these taster sessions. Information will be posted on our Facebook page nearer the time when the details have been finalised.

A taster session usually lasts around 2 hours. You will be surprised how tiring hammer work is!! Of course, if you really get the bug then you can always arrange a series of sessions. Please contact us if you would like to enquire about the ‘Taster Sessions’.

The Forge is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and on Saturday morning between 9am and 12 noon. We try to keep to our opening times, but because we live and work at Sandhurst Farm Forge and due to the nature of his work and exhibiting, Charlie will not always have the fire lit. If you would like to visit, it is always wise to phone before arriving especially if coming from a distance away.