Malham Smithy

Malham Smithy occupies a forge roughly two hundred years old on the edge of the village, bequeathed to the parish church by the blacksmith Bill Wild in the early 1980s and leased ever since as a working smithy. Annabelle Bradley, a former accountant, took over the forge in February 2007 and has run it as a single-site workshop since, hand-forging sculptural and functional wrought ironwork using traditional hammer-and-anvil techniques. A small gallery area displays finished pieces and lets visitors watch her at the anvil, while one-to-one and two-person blacksmithing courses run by appointment introduce beginners to basic forging, from fire pokers to hooks and candlesticks. There are no fixed opening hours; visits and courses are arranged directly with Bradley by email.