Thursday, March 16, 2017

Celebrate the Official Grand Opening of Eveleigh Works – Sydney, Sunday April 2 2017

2017 marks 130 years of blacksmithing at Sydney's Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops.  Once the hub of steam train building in Australia, the cathedral-like Redfern workshop ran from 1887 until 1989.  Now, it’s open to the public as a blacksmithing and traditional craft school and they're throwing a party to celebrate.

In September 2016 Eveleigh Works moved in and started turning the heritage listed Locomotive blacksmith’s workshops into a fully fledged blacksmithing school. Fast forward 6 months, and they have welcomed makers from far and wide into the shop to learn heritage craft skills in the beautiful industrial cathedral of the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops.

See the magic of forging red-hot steel with forging, traditional tool making and glass blowing demonstrations. Starting at 1pm you’ll get to see our blacksmith instructors forge things by hand and furnace and see the incredible equipment and facilities of this workshop.

A party isn't a party without some boot stomping. The day will feature a line-up of local bands, featuring The Sweet Jelly Rolls, Indigo Rising and more. Booze is by local brewers Young Henrys and FBI SMAC 'Best Eats' award winners Rising Sun Workshop will be serving Japanese nom noms.

Founded by a team of three young creatives, the newly invigorated Eveleigh Works now runs weekly short courses in metal sculpture, hand forging, knife-making and traditional tool-making.  They’re part of a broader resurgence of ‘makers’ – people from all walks of life wanting to reconnect with traditional ways of designing and creating.

The Eveleigh Works opening party will kick off at 1pm and end at 5pm on Sunday, 2 April.  Entry is free, and the event is all-ages.

4 comments:

Neil said...

There was still a traditional blacksmith in Sutherland in my primary school days in the 50s.

Jim Belshaw said...

Really? There must have been when I was a kid, some people still used horses, but I only saw remnants - anvils, fires, bellows - which would all now be period pieces!

Anonymous said...

There was a fellow called Rouen (I think) still active in Nowra into the late '70s. And up until at least 11 years ago there was an 'artisinal' smithy over in Berry earning a good living with 'ye olde' type stuff.

Would love to go to that opening Jim, especially for the building itself. Envy you!

kvd

ps google is my memory these days - Frank Rouen - whose premises I used to walk past during the 60's - from a local history:

“When Frank retired in 1983, it ended almost 200 years for the Rouen family in the blacksmith trade that had started in Ireland during the 1870s.”

Jim Belshaw said...

Hi kvd. VerY interesting. Would be good to see an old fashioned blacksmith at work