Author Archives: John Churchil
Frame works.
This commission involved the repair/re instatement of a seventeenth century Spanish iron bed and the making of a second one to slightly different dimensions. Much care was taken to get the details as right as possible, deducing them from the … Continue reading
Portlemouth rails and bell mount
A steep set of garden stairs and a knee operation provided the motivation for this commission. Some images of pre fitting operations, done prior to installation as it was a local job. The commission included the devising of … Continue reading
Tuckenhay handrail
A commission for a simple handrail. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Willow Cottage gates and screens
A commission to make gates and screens that were at once light hearted and yet effective in suggesting to walkers, on the one hand, and the dog on the other, that the property was private. Being a small property … Continue reading
Gunnislake Plaques
A commission to design and make two commemorative plaques on the site of a former Gasworks and Retort house by the Tamar at Gunnislake. The Retort house; The Gasholder; Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
Ugborough bridge rails
Guarding for a garden bridge. The brief was to make railings for this rather slender bridge which would allow the masons to widen it subsequently ; hence the stainless bearers let into the stonework – these will be built … Continue reading
Wembury railings
Guarding for a complicated series of steps and landings. At the back of the property; Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing … Continue reading
Handrails to ‘The Mound’
A commission for handrails to some garden steps at an Oxford College; some details; Some of the forging stages; Fitting; Initial idea/concept; Martin Edwards/ John Robins/ John Churchill Design; … Continue reading
Little Dee Gates
Two simple forged gates for adjoining openings. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing; jcb Executed; jcb
Simple forged gate.
. A straightforward gate to the re ordered garden of this fine Georgian country property. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing; jcb … Continue reading
Railings at mill
. The mill, (the mechanics of which had been lovingly refurbished by an old millwright who had stayed there for some time in exchange, I believe, for his expertise), was in the final stages of the building works prior to … Continue reading
Clenching of nails
Sooner or later, in the quest for good results, the question of clench nails comes up. It is completely traditional, it is a really good job mechanically, and often looks so much better than screw or bolt fixes, but how … Continue reading
Peg rack and coat rack
. Peg rack Coat and Hat rack. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Shower curtain rail
A circular forged rail, to be ceiling mounted, in stainless steel. Initial idea/concept; customer Design; customer/jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Banneret vane.
. Copper fastened stainless banneret weathervane. (2003) Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Pilgrim
. A few of the forgings, mainly in wrought iron, that we have done in the course of the restoration of Brixham trawler Pilgrim; (More pics to come) Read more about the Pilgrim at http://pilgrimofbrixham.co.uk/ Initial idea/concept; … Continue reading
Clockwork Barbeque
. Clockwork Barbecue. (1999-2000) This commission started out as a rectangle with a dot in the middle, scrawled on the back of an envelope, representing a conventional spit jack; the final result, which owed more to a grandfather clock … Continue reading
Norman Castle keep stove
. Castle Keep Stove (2012) This was a very agreeable commission, as far as I was concerned, to make a stove facsimile (dual fuel wood and sawdust) of the keep to the customers fortified chateau in Normandy. In fact for … Continue reading
Latches and catches
. ‘In the day’ the blacksmith would have been the man to go to when you needed to hang a door; hinges, nails, latches, locks and bolts would all have come from the forge, in levels of complication and finesse … Continue reading
Forged Strap Hinges
. In the Hinges section of the shop I offer two sizes of forged strap hinge as off the peg items. Their design and crafting are totally traditional but I feel that the possible variations are too numerous to attempt … Continue reading
Curtain Polery
. As mentioned in the introduction to the services section, while the hanging of curtains is, indeed, sometimes a case of screwing two brackets into the wall and plonking a pole on top, quite often there is more to … Continue reading
Around the fireplace
. In recent years the number of mass produced stoves of reasonable quality seems to have rocketed. Manufacturers and marketers have really got their act together and filled every corner of the internet with stoves of every shape size and … Continue reading
Small chestnut roaster
. Forged chestnut roasting tool. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Railings, handrails and gates
Beyond my general policy of aiming to deliver according to the spirit of a given commission I have a list of attributes with which I aim to inform my work in these areas. In no particular order; durability, good aesthetic, solidity, … Continue reading
Mill cottage handrails
. Handrails for two sets of stairs. (2013/14) Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Welltown opening register
. An opening register plate for a very old chimney, recently lined. (2013) The controls hang down into the fireplace on either side and are held back and down, when open, by some forged latches (not shown here yet) … Continue reading
White cottage rails
. A set of simple handrails for one of Dartmouths’ many steep gardens Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb … Continue reading
White cottage gate
. Forged gate. (2015) Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill) Customer feedback; ” The quality was top … Continue reading
Whimple rail
. Simple forged and fabricated handrail. Initial idea/concept; customer Design; Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Portland handrails
. Handrails, taking an existing wooden newel detail as starting point. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john … Continue reading
Welltown guardrails
. Guardrail to stairs and window. Dog guard for upstairs window. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb … Continue reading
Loveshack steps
. Steps from party area to garden and house. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Nightmayor rails
. Hand rail to steep and slippery steps. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Ford balusters
. Handrail with balustrading for an internal staircase with granddaughter imminent. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill) … Continue reading
Leonardo rails
. The original requirement here was for an internal bridge giving access to a mezzanine floor above the central living space/ kitchen that had been isolated from the rest of the upstairs by the need to get light down into … Continue reading
Beach end doors
. Stainless door furniture for this riverside cottage. Cormorant headed tee hinges and fishy door pulls for the front door; rowlock hinges and paddle pulls for the boathouse doors….. coverage to be continued shortly Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb … Continue reading
Beach end
. Various rails for river fronting cottage. more to come Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Mount Boone rails
. A gothic flavoured design of rails for the re ordering of the courtyard to this Victorian ‘castle’. Maquette Railings installed Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
Guarding at mill
. The mill stream running past this Cornish mill cottage below the wheel is quite deep. A slender granite bridge fifty yards down from the wheel provided the only bit of guarding on the entire site with this simple forged … Continue reading
Mill house doors
. Tee hinges and thumb latch sets for old Cornish mill house. Cupboard furniture Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing … Continue reading
Welltown doors
. Door furniture for restoration of 17th century cottage. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Docs’ doors
. Forged cranked straps, latch and bolts for new doors to an old opening. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb … Continue reading
House of straw
. Door furniture for an ecologically aware oak frame and straw bale house. The front door thumb latch illustrated below was subject to the requirement for the front door to be as nearly airtight as possible and so used a … Continue reading
Miscellaneous door and window furniture
. Some latching arrangements from over the years. various bits and pieces; Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb … Continue reading
Fireside tools
A few fire tools and some forged sconces; A stand for fireside tools Toasting fork and tongs A wall mounted firetool holder;
Outline of equipment and processes, as found at our workshop
The Forge or Hearth. In order to master iron heat is the smiths most essential ally. It would probably have been around the camp fire that mankinds’ early realisations of the possibilities of metals were made and it is … Continue reading
The working of iron by hand
. Held in our hands iron is an extremely hard and strong material. For us to shape it by hand would be impossible were it not for its characteristic of becoming fully malleable, when heated, within quite a wide range … Continue reading
Tutus in undis vane 2014
. A weathervane for a prominent Dartmouth dwelling originally built on the proceeds of seafaring activity of some sort – hence the ‘safety on the waves’ motto; This was taken from a stained glass window in the property as was the … Continue reading
sign 1993
. Sign for shop premises. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Tractor vane. (2001)
. Tractor birthday present for enthusiast. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)