Description
The history of the famous British ironworks and anvil manufacturer. A book for collectors, historians and those interested in anvils.
Hardcover Edition!
108 Pages and Color and B&W Illus on heavy paper.
Here’s a recent reader review of Mousehole Forge:
“THE reference book by the world’s expert. Meticulously researched, clearly written, and described with underlying passion. Richard Postman is THE expert and this book is the go-to resource for anvil owners, collectors, and researchers who share his passion for Mousehole Forge.” – Howkan_O
Besides being an interesting read, is the book also useful? Here’s part of a forum thread from Welding Design and Fabrication (on the actual thread there are photos):
- “Someone wants to sell this anvil and I have no idea of its worth. What would be a fair offer for it?”
- “I’m not an anvil expert, but i would do some research on mouse hole forge. I believe they are swedish made and very good quality and from what i know, highly sought after. Take this advice with a grain of salt. But i would check it out real good.”
- “It’s hard to make out the whole stamping, but “Mousehole Forge” by Richard Postman dates that anvil to around the turn of the 20th century; England, not Sweden.”
Who is the author?
Richard Postman, the author of the best and most exhaustive book ever written on anvils – “Anvils in America” (which is being republished at the end of this 2024 by Artisan Ideas).
The following is an extract from a newspaper article written by British journalist, Ron Clayton:
Hillsborough & District Journal, 27 May 2004 (England):
ONE of the pleasures of life I rediscover from time to time is reading, as well as listening to Radio 4 and Radio Sheffield.
At the moment I have on my lap a wonderful book. It’s a history of Mousehole Forge, Malin Bridge, and is beautifully and comprehensively illustrated.
It’s written by an American chap, Richard A. Postman, together with the owners and rescuers of the ruins of the Forge, John and Julia Hatfield.
I could wax lyrical over the fascinating story of Mousehole anvils and their place in Shefield’s Industrial history, a story of which I was only vaguely aware.
One or two anecdotes for you about the book and the people involved. Richard has obviously fallen in love with the place and his photographs show the area at its most attractive, in autumn.
John and Julia will be known to quite a few locals, former apothecaries, who after many years of grinding pestle into mortar and dispensing pharmaceuticals to all and sundry, took on a task akin to cleansing the Augean Stables, in restoring a bit of Sheffield history. John has had ill health recently but his reputation as a devotee of the art of table tennis, one of his many enthusiasms, remains robust.
I remember the time he and I lugged the date stone of Upper Owelerton Wheel into Mousehole, where it remains today to preserve a link to a piece of industrial history whose site is not a car park.
While ‘Mousehole Forge’ was written by an American with an overseas market in mind (surprising how others value our history while we don’t) it’s also one for we locals to enjoy, as Richard exhorts us to.
