David Harland
Artist Blacksmith
I was fairly feral as a child, roaming wherever I would over hill, stream, along coastline and cliffs but always connected in with the nature and spirit of the land. At home I would make small copper pieces hammered on the back of an axe head as an anvil and dream of changing the outhouse into a mini workshop. What started me off on my blacksmithing journey was reading a book by Michael Scott Rohan called 'The Anvil of Ice", which was all about using magic to put life and energy into forged pieces. Having failed to get into arts college in Cumbria due to my ADHD and Dyslexic brain leaving the portfolio work till the last few days. I started to follow in the tradition of the Harland family (over 100 years of it) and started an engineering course in Carlisle Tech. I got an apprenticeship at the tender age of 19 with an Italian blacksmith just outside of Oxford where I lived in a caravan and started my training. I came away from blacksmithing for a while to learning about agriculture, singing and top end audio equipment before heading back to train in Blacksmithing at the Hereford centre for rural crafts. After my course I worked for and with several blacksmiths before setting up my own forge in Bowerchalke, Wiltshire. I moved to my current forge in 2018 and am at this point allowing myself to really connect with the aspects I enjoy in blacksmithing and hope to inspire others to take their own paths with this beautiful craft.
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Studio address -
Pentre
Porthrhyd
Carmarthen
Carmarthenshire
Tel:07773 420622
email:david@davidharlandblacksmith.com
website: www.davidharlandblacksmith.com
Directions to studio
Directions are from M4 Swansea or A48 Carmarthen, you need to take the Botanical Gardens turning off the A48 and follow the signs to Porthrhyd. When you get to the junctions opposite The Abadam Arms take a left turn through and out of Porthrhyd towards Drefach B4310. Take the left turn immediately after The Mansell Arms (signposted Foelgastell) and follow the lane up until you see a fork down to the right, its opposite a house called 'Min Yr Odin' and there is a car reg sign on the stone that says "Cwmper". Go down that track and we are the first farmhouse you come to, you can park in the yard.
Opening times:
July 2023
Saturday 29th
Sunday 30th
Monday 31st
August 2023
Tuesday 1st
Wednesday 2nd
Thursday 3rd
Friday 4th
Saturday 5th
Sunday 6th
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
10am - 5pm
