The Blacksmith’s Cottage and Forge are very proud to be part of the Bacchus Marsh Harvest Festival, held annually in March. This year, we were able to display a wide range of locally-grown produce in our heritage setting. Our volunteers were pleased to welcome a steady stream of visitors from places as far afield as Bentleigh, Daylesford and Newstead, as well as places much closer to home. The rain held out and the sun shone on the day. The...
Cottage News
The ‘Smithy’s Day Book, the DB, the Ledger – it’s the book which records the commissioned work of the Blacksmith together with the charges for his toil. There was no PC or telephone; the customer walked into the Forge and arranged the work. Horses were walked into the Forge near the work area when shoes were to be made and fitted; all recorded in the Day Book. To shoe your horse, as recently as 1941, 4 shoes would cost 8 shillings. ...
The Annis and George Bills horse trough at the Blacksmith’s Cottage is a survivor of a series of troughs donated by the estate of Annis and George Bills. When he died in 1927 George Bills left his estate of 80,000 pounds to ‘construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they ………..are desireable for the relief of horses and other dumb animals.” The bequest donated over 500 troughs throughout...
WORLD WAR 1 SIGNATURE SUPPER CLOTH This hand-embroidered linen supper cloth is an interesting donation which is currently being researched by members of the Blacksmith Cottage and Forge Bookbarn Committee. World War 1 is the common link between the names of Australian cities, ports, people and objects which have been embroidered skillfully with amazing needle skills on a piece of linen. The cloth’s origins are unknown however the embroidered...
The Marshman Music Master radios are not from Mars; they are from the ‘Marsh – Bacchus Marsh. We have a Marshman Music Master radio as part of our static display within the Blacksmith’s Cottage. The Marshman has a beautifully styled small box shape with a Bakelite base and camel coloured leatherette case. The glass window displays the intricate “map” of the radio stations of the 1940s. In its day the Marshman was the centrepiece in the...
The smell of eucalyptus wafted through the Blacksmith’s Cottage for the Old Time Christmas open day. A gum tree branch sparkled and shone with hand made decorations and paper chains hung at the windows. Socks were pinned up over the fire-place waiting for Santa’s descent, probably with a whoosh of soot. Puddings hung at the fireplace in the kitchen and the whole romance of an English Christmas transported to the heat of Australia...