Blacksmithing Returns to Churchill Forge
8th June 2024
Blacksmithing returned to Churchill Forge for our June open day when our wonderful blacksmiths Alan and Fred entertained our visitors with a demonstration of their skills. It was wonderful to hear the evocative sound of hammer on metal echo around the forge yard and Alan and Fred will be back to give further demonstrations at our remaining open days this year. Don’t miss them!
Witness the Mill Come Alive Again
Watch our new promotional video. Now available on YouTube and social media.
Our thanks to Ethan Park for the creation of this content.
Churchill Forge Strengthens its Team of Trustees
2 April 2024
We are very pleased to announce that two new trustees have joined us over the winter: Anne Luckett and Lee Hale. Anne, who has a background in the vital areas of business administration and finance, has also agreed to take on the challenging role of treasurer. Lee, who is the director of Winterbourne House at the University of Birmingham, brings a huge amount of experience in heritage management (if you haven’t visited Winterbourne House, do so, it’s fantastic) and extensive contacts within the academic environment.
We are certain that both will be huge assets to the trust are delighted to welcome them onboard.
First Open Day of 2024
2 April 2024
As usual, the forge opened to the public for the first time in the year on Easter Monday. Despite weeks of seemingly endless rain and a unencouraging weather forecast, the day was actually dry, if a little cool and blustery. We were therefore delighted to welcome a good number of enthusiastic visitors to the site. In particular it was good to see the number of children who came along. Our own Dave Galley’s endless supply of stories from the past always hold them spellbound. It was also encouraging that a couple of our visitors expressed interest in volunteering. We always need more volunteers so any offers of support are always welcomed.
All in all it was a great start to the season and we look forward to the rest of the opening programme with, hopefully, warmer times.
A Successful start to the season
17 April 2023
Despite the mixed weather, our first open day of 2023 on Easter Monday was a great success. A steady stream of visitors braved the showers and it was great to once again see the wheels turning and the old forge cranking into life. It is days like this that make all the effort that goes into keeping the place running and open to the public worthwhile.
Our next open day will be on Sunday 14th May when we will be welcoming visitors from 2pm to 5pm (last admissions 4:30) when once again you will be able to see this unique example of our industrial heritage come alive. Buy your tickets online, or at the gate.
As ever our thanks goes to all our volunteers for their hard work, both over the winter on maintaining and improving the site and on the day stewarding and helping make it all come alive. They are a great team. Would you like to join them? It’s a great way to make new friends whilst making a real contribution to the local community. From more information, see how you can support us, or drop us a message though our contact page.
Open Day Tickets Available
28 January 2023
Our open day schedule for 2023 has been confirmed and tickets are now available to book online. Come and discover the history of a unique water powered forge mill on:
- 10th April – Easter Monday
- 14th May – National Mills Weekend
- 11th June
- 9th July
- 13th August
- 10th September
Buy your tickets through our website, and leave us a donation at the same time. Why not leave us a review on Tripadvisor as well.
The end a successful season
01 October 2022
As we look back on a successful open day season, we would like to thank all our visitors and volunteers for their support over the past few months, following our first year back open since 2019. We welcomed back familiar faces, said hello to new, and sadly said goodbye to some old friends too.
If you did not get the chance to visit us this year, worry not. We are still open for private tours, and if you have some time on your hands during the week, we would welcome you to help out with the maintenance of the forge over the colder months so that in the new year we will be ready to open the doors once again and welcome everyone in to our unique part of the heritage of the nation. We will still be carrying on behind closed doors, come and help us.
Pauline Hayward
17 August 2022
We are very sad to announce the death of our longstanding trustee Pauline Hayward. The younger daughter of Claude Bache, who owned and operated Churchill Forge until 1970, Pauline grew up to the sound of the hammers and the turning of the wheels and she continued to live next to the forge throughout her life. She and her husband Geoff Hayward were instrumental in the establishment of Churchill Forge Trust and the preservation of the forge for future generations. Her wealth of reminiscences about her childhood and the history of the forge was always a very popular feature of open days and group visits.
Outside of her work for Churchill Forge she was a prominent member of the local community including many years of service on Wyre Forest District Council.
It is no exaggeration to say that without her, the forge probably wouldn’t exist today. She will be very much missed by us all.
Easter Monday Open Day a Success
29 April 2022
Our open day season for 2022 got off to a great start on a sunny Easter Monday. Having been our first open day since 2019, it was great to be welcoming visitors through the doors and down the stairs once again. We were encouraged along by a gentle breeze under a warm and cloudless spring sky, where our friendly and helpful volunteers welcomed visitors once more.
Also, we took this opportunity to introduce means for taking card payments, which will be in place going forward. All in all, we had an enjoyable afternoon welcoming visitors back, and we look forward to welcoming more in the future.
If you would like to come and discover what makes our Forge so special, buy your tickets through our website, and maybe leave us a donation at the same time. Once you’ve visited, why not support us again and leave us a review on Tripadvisor as well. Futhermore, if you can’t make it to one of our open days, why not get a group together and book a private tour.
Open Day Tickets Available
12 April 2022
Our open day schedule for 2022 has been confirmed and tickets are now available to book online. Come and discover the history of a unique water powered forge mill on:
- 18th April (Easter Monday)
- 8th May
- 12th June
- 10th July
- 14th August
- 11th September
Buy your tickets through our website, and leave us a donation at the same time. Why not leave us a review on Tripadvisor as well.
New Website Goes Live
04 April 2022
As part of our continued preparations for reopening in 2022, we have been working behind the scenes to develop our new website. The new design will enable you to discover and learn about the Forge’s history and what is happening currently. Furthermore, you will be able to sign up to our quarterly newsletter to also stay informed of what is happening at the Forge, get in contact with us, and connect with us through our social media accounts.
Finally, you will now be able to buy your tickets to our open days through our website. If you have a PayPal account, or with a credit or debit card, you can purchase in advance, and if you’re feeling generous you could also leave us a donation at the same time.
Spring has arrived at Churchill Forge
10 March 2022
As we get ready to welcome visitors back to the forge, the signs of spring are abundant at the site.
Why not book for one of our open days and take in the sights and sounds of the north Worcestershire countryside, whether its meeting the local resident ducks and geese on the Hammer Pond, or taking a moment to try and spot one of the more illusive Kingfishers that inhabit the banks down stream.
We’re Good to Go
29 January 2022
In preparation for our 2022 season of open days, we are proud to announce that we have achieved Good to Go status, as part of VisitEngland’s accreditation scheme for welcoming visitors to tourist attractions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By meeting the standards under the Good to Go scheme, you can be confident that we are taking appropriate action to ensure your safety in relation to COVID-19, when you visit. Why not book your tickets online and find out what we have been up to.
2022 Open Day calendar announced
12 January 2022
Open day dates have been announced for the 2022 season. It is expected that these will run without any interruption from the continuing pandemic, however we will be monitoring the situation closely and will update if any changes need to be made. The forge will be open on Easter Monday and then every second Sunday of the month to 11 September. Admission is £5 per person, and the forge will be open between 2pm and 5pm each day. For more information, visit our Visit the Forge page
Volunteers sought
22 December 2021
As plans are being put in place for 2022, additional volunteers are now being sought to help bring the forge out of winter and make it ready for the coming visitor season. If you would like to see what skills we are currently looking for, as well as a willingness to get your hands dirty, go to the Volunteer page on the website or send us a message through our Contact Us page for further information
New Trustee Appointed
10 December 2021
At the recent meeting in December, the trustees of Churchill Forge appointed Andrew Le Hegarat as a new trustee. Andrew currently works as a project manager for an environmental law charity and will be bringing his knowledge and experience in the charity sector to help the forge continue to grow.
