Blacksmith Shop

Replica Building
Built 1959
Representative of an 1860s Shop

Board and batten Blacksmith shop building with a sign reading “William H. Weir, Fanshawe” above two large open doors. There are two grist stones and metal tires sitting outside to the right of the shop.

Entrepreneurs, like blacksmiths, chose transportation crossroads to establish off-farm businesses.

This replica shop was designed by Upper Thames River Conservation Authority Park Superintendent Rex H. Bishop, and constructed in 1958 by the Conservation Authority.  The shop is named after local blacksmith William H. Weir (1853-1934) who apprenticed with Thompson’s Carriage Works in London before settling in West McGillivray Township.  Weir’s horseshoes won many awards at local fairs and some are preserved in the Village’s artifact collection.

Blacksmith shops were some of the earliest businesses to appear in new communities.  The smith played an important role in the community, making and repairing iron tools, farm equipment, wagon wheels, and household items.  They often acted as the communities farrier, providing horseshoeing services.  As a farrier they would require some basic veterinary knowledge.

Shops usually had large front doors to permit the entry of horses and wagons, and to provide better ventilation for smoke and heat.  Instead of being made of wood, the floors were usually made of hard-packed earth.  This reduced the risk of accidental fires from flying sparks.  The building would have minimal windows as the darkness helped the blacksmith see the heated metal better. 

Did you know that metal changes colour as it heats up?  As iron or steel is heated, it turns a series of colours, which informs the blacksmith of the metal’s temperature and the amount of resistance it will have as it is bent into the desired shape.  Metal that is slightly heated lightens to a brown tone, and as the temperature increases, the colour changes to red, followed by orange, yellow and white.

The Crossroads

As more people established themselves in an area, roads began to traverse the countryside, enabling crossroad communities to develop.  These communities served the rural areas around them.  Generally, the first buildings to appear in crossroad communities were a blacksmith shop and a tavern or inn.  Other shops, trades, and community spaces would appear shortly afterward to meet the needs of the growing community.

Crossroad communities that had access to running water could harness the water’s power allowing other essential businesses like gristmills and sawmills to be established.  This in turn led to continued development in an area.

Building restoration supported by Libro Financial Group and Special High Skills Major Program in Construction at Lucas Secondary School.

Blacksmithing Learning Resource

Discover more about Blacksmithing overtime in Ontario, by checking out ForgingON: The Evolution of Blacksmithing in Ontario.
Fanshawe Pioneer Village collaborated on this online Learning Resource with Pickering Museum Village and several other Ontario museums.

Exterior view of the replica blacksmith shop at the Village, circa 1961. London and Middlesex Heritage Museum Archives

Exterior view of the replica blacksmith shop at the Village, circa 1961. London and Middlesex Heritage Museum Archives

Black and white image of the interior set up of the blacksmith shop, during the early days of the Village.

Black and white image of the interior set up of the blacksmith shop, during the early days of the Village.

A black and white image captures sparks flying, as a man hammers metal on an anvil in the blacksmith shop. Blacksmiths limited the light coming into the shop so they could see the colour of the metal as they worked. London and Middlesex Heritage Mu

A black and white image captures sparks flying, as a man hammers metal on an anvil in the blacksmith shop. Blacksmiths limited the light coming into the shop so they could see the colour of the metal as they worked. London and Middlesex Heritage Museum Archives

A man in costume holds a piece of metal over a bucket of water inside the blacksmith shop. Blacksmiths would use water to harden forged metal. This process is called quenching.

A man in costume holds a piece of metal over a bucket of water inside the blacksmith shop. Blacksmiths would use water to harden forged metal. This process is called quenching.

Interior view of the blacksmith shop. A variety of forged tools sit on a table, various farm implements hang on the back wall, and two anvils are sitting ready for use next to the forge.

Interior view of the blacksmith shop. A variety of forged tools sit on a table, various farm implements hang on the back wall, and two anvils are sitting ready for use next to the forge.

This large bellows sits behind the forge's chimney. A blacksmith's apprentice or family member often spent their day pumping the bellows in order to increase air flow into the forge, thus making the fire burn hotter. Later, blacksmiths would install

This large bellows sits behind the forge's chimney. A blacksmith's apprentice or family member often spent their day pumping the bellows in order to increase air flow into the forge, thus making the fire burn hotter. Later, blacksmiths would install blowers, allowing them to do the work on their own.

Blacksmiths often worked closely with woodworkers or wheelwrights. The wheelwright would fabricate wooden pieces and fit them together into the wheel shape. Then a blacksmith would add a metal tire, like the one pictured here, around the outside of

Blacksmiths often worked closely with woodworkers or wheelwrights. The wheelwright would fabricate wooden pieces and fit them together into the wheel shape. Then a blacksmith would add a metal tire, like the one pictured here, around the outside of the wheel to keep it all together.

Coal bins, like the one pictured here, were used by blacksmith to keep a supply of coal on hand. Blacksmiths would use coal instead of wood for larger jobs, as it creates a hotter fire. While coal was an important resource throughout the 19th and m

Coal bins, like the one pictured here, were used by blacksmith to keep a supply of coal on hand. Blacksmiths would use coal instead of wood for larger jobs, as it creates a hotter fire. While coal was an important resource throughout the 19th and much of the 20th century, today it is recognized as a major polluter.