Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2010 | Page 94

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

February/March 2010

Blacksmiths today: Tim and Will stay. INSET: Mr George Stay pictured in 1963 at the
Northampton Agricultural Show winning 3rd prize in the Open Wrought Iron Section.
Just a generation back, when Tim was

around in a few boxes and produces some

celebrating his firm’s 200th birthday,

factory-made scrolls to be welded to

the principle bread-and-butter work was

iron gates. “We’ve got them because if

agricultural contracting: - in 1989 the

somebody’s quoting the price a gate can

County Press reported that he and two

be made for in China, I couldn’t compete.

staff harvested more than 1,000 acres of

But I would love to be able to say ‘I don’t

silage for farmers. But an invoice dated

do that type of work’.”

1912, in Tim’s great grandfather’s time,

He shows a scroll that has been worked

describes the business as a “Shoeing

by hand – thrust into the furnace, beaten

and General Smith, Cycle Agent and

and honed – and the mass produced

Repairer.”

equivalent: the difference is like night

somewhere

and day. Will’s rather clever compromise

to sell his sinuous spiders and delicate

they can embrace such change. Work they

is to offer factory-made gates with

horses. Fortunately, W Stay and Son can

do in sheet metal is a completely different

hand-wrought details.

be all things to all people – so Will’s

It is is a testament to their skills that

discipline again.“We’ve always done a

But he’d prefer it if everyone could

certain amount in sheet metal,” recalls

afford the real thing. He is currently

place alongside the structural work and

Tim. “When I was 15 or 16 we made

restoring a gate, and the clients want

the still-strong demands for traditional

bushels for the dustbin men.”

three more to match. “The difference

gates and furniture.

between a ready made gate and

Here’s to another 220 years.

Few businesses can match this diversity.
Indeed the claims of other firms do rather

hand-made was £4,000 but he said he’d

rile Will. “You go to most fabricators’

have it hand-made!”

yards and they say they’re blacksmiths

Thank goodness for clients like those.

– but if they don’t have a forge they’re

For you feel that if he were just a

not a blacksmith. They buy stuff in and

‘fabricator’, Will would take the artisan

weld it together.” His contempt for

route, taking off with his Devonian

ersatz craftwork is explosive, as he digs

girlfriend to set up a little craft shop

94

lovely contemporary creations have a

W Stay & Son, Quay Lane Farm, Quay
Lane, Brading, PO36 0AT. Tel 01983
407077. www.wstayandson.com

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