Coast to Coast – Our journey to connect with the ancient metal workers of the past.

 Ogwell Green to Constantine Bay

Uther Pendragons fathers favourite beach

A journey to connect with the ancient metal workers of the past.

constantine bay

A journey to trace our age old connection with metal working. We will be visiting a working forge as we travel from the south coast of Devon to the North coast of Cornwall.

Metal workers of the bronze and iron ages were seen as magicians. Held in great awe they turned rocks into gleaming metal, and in turn they turned this metal into tools for acquiring status and power.

Making stoves is a far cry from that time but having a stove , a real fire, can somehow keep a tiny thread of a connection with our ancestors.

ship wreck at constantine bayship wreck at constantine bay

 

 

Views of Constantine Bay and the shipwreck of a WW2 transport ship.

 

 

 

 

 

En route we visited the last water powered foundry in England.

FINCH FOUNDRY, on Dartmoor.

metal working on dartmoor

The last working water powered foundry in England gives us a glimpse into the time when metal working began to evolve with the very start of the industrial revolution.

The doorway to Dartmoor’s industrial past. Enter Finch Foundry to experience the sights, sounds and smells of three thundering water wheels powering massive hammers, shears and a sharpening stone. These fuelled one of the South West’s most successful edge tool factories which, at its peak, produced around 400 edge tools a day. This foundry is an insight into the life of workers in the 19th century.

metal working on dartmoor

The Trippet stone circle was also on the way and is well worth a visit.

It is fortunate that this ariel shot and others around the area and used in this post, were obviously taken after a good summer, as the ground is dry and the grass brown. This has allowed the long trodden paths of centuries of travellers to be more clearly visible on areas of ground untouched by farming or development, other than some cattle scuffing of the ground around the stones when used as scratching posts or for shade. The trippet stone circle appears to be sited at an ancinet crossroads. Whilst it also said to be in alightment with the bright red giant star Arcturus, in the constellation of Bootes, which it aligns with every May 1st.

It must also be noted that this date coincides with the feast day of the great healing Saint. St.Breoch. ( there is an area in the estuary named after this saint)

This area is closely linked with the other Celtic strongholds of the time. South and west wales along with the Morbihan area of Brittany.

stone circle trippet stonesancient stone circles

celestial markers

Indeed, standing stones, stone circles and ancient spirals can be found in these areas which arguably shows a shared culture along this western edge of Britain and Northern Europe.

In Wales there are stone spirals near the west coast at Llanbadr.

On the isle of Gavranis in the Gulf of Morbihan there are some ancient chipped out stone spirals inside an ancient burial cairn.

HAVE WE MADE A DISCOVERY!!!! QUICK PHONE TONY ROBINSON!!!

From an ariel investigation of the camel estuary I noticed some incredible ‘walking’ sized spirals on the hillside. Here is a link to further evidence of the existence of such spiral labyrinths not only on the pocket sized rock carvings but larger ones cut into the ground. Where these spirals representations of nature and the heavens, we can only speculate.

I could find nothing about this labyrinth mentioned on the internet which to be honest I find quite staggering! Am I the first person to discover the concentric circle labyrinth of the Camel estuary???

This labyrinth is just south of Constantine Bay, between Long cove and Rowan cove, to me they are ancient markings as powerful and mysterious as the Nazca lines. Unique examples of our ancient heritage which should be preserved for all of the world to enjoy. I intend to visit both labyrinth sites this coming weekend so look back at this post again next week for an update. I have contacted the head of archaeology at Bournemouth University but this has not produced anything unfortunately.

concentric circles in cornwallancient spirals on the coastline in Cornwallthe labyrinth at Long Cove

The Nazca monkey pattern is an ancient walking labyrinth. maybe the spirals above on the cornish coast were used in a similar way?

Nazca_monkey

A shared powerful Celtic culture which may have extended far beyond what we currently believe. All these cultures must have held metal working skill in high regard. Celtic tribes sharing the knowledge of metalworking and helping the area became a centre for metalworking across the continent and beyond. The ancient spirals show that these areas were a focal point for all aspects of ancient life and culture.

Join us again soon as next time we are off to a strong hold of the ancient britons much closer to home in the nearby village of Denbury. The hill fort on the mound overlooking the village has evidence of both settlement as well as ancient metal working.

Small Stove Review 9

Our Hobbit Stove Has Been Fitted!

"We had a Hobbit stove fitted this week by Alex Reay from Flues and Fires, and I just wanted to get in touch to say it is AMAZING and we love it! We have a lovely cast iron tiled fireplace which I was desperate not to lose when we installed a small wood burning stove, but until I found the Hobbit on Google, everyone told me it would be impossible to keep the fire surround. The Hobbit is perfect - not only does it fit very snugly, but it looks fantastic and the blue door complements the tiles very nicely. We are sitting enjoying a fire now and absolutely loving it! Thanks for creating such an amazing product."

Nicola Williams

Small Stove Review 10

The Best Stove Ever!

"It’s the best stove ever! It’s easy to light, very efficient, burns anthracite and stays in overnight (ours has been in for three weeks now). It even keeps a kettle of water at the ready for a cuppa! What more can I say, we love it! Just the thing to make our Yorkshire home cosy, and the cat loves it too!"

Lynn and Andrew, West Yorkshire

small stove review 16

First Small Stove Installation

Was looking for a small stove for my first self-install. Found Mark very helpful. Knowledgeable, friendly service. Stove burns well and generates lots more heat than the previous open fire. What is not to like?

Sam

Small Stove Review 15

A Huge Thank You!

"Dear Mark and Gill, a huge thank you for designing and making the Hobbit stove! We had two different London-based fireplace companies tell us that we simply had to knock out the old cast iron and tile fireplace to fit in a woodburning stove, and that there was no other option! Then we found you online. We are delighted with our little Hobbit, which swallows up logs and kicks out a good amount of heat. Perfect for the winter! I will also be writing to the London-based fireplace companies to put the Hobbit on their radar. Best wishes."

Nat

Small Stove Review 14

Delighted With Our Hobbit Stove!

"Mark, Gill, thank you for your assistance, we are delighted with our Hobbit! I fired it up this evening after taking all afternoon making a register plate to fit the opening."

Alan

Small Stove Review 5

It's Brilliant!

"Hi Mark, here's a photo of the Hobbit installed in my Yorkist grate. It’s brilliant! It also throws out a lot more heat than the grate did."

Roger T

Small Stove Review 3

Just to Say Thank You!

"I just had a chat with Gill saying how delighted we are with our little Hobbit stove, and to also thank you both for your attention to detail and excellent customer service!"

Derrick

Small Stove Review 4

The Little Hobbit Has Stepped Up To The Challenge!

"We just wanted to say how impressed and how much of a life saver our little Hobbit has been! It was fitted a few months ago in our holiday home in Rhu, Scotland, which is a large open plan conversion in a Victorian house. This weekend our boiler decided it was not going to play ball. The little Hobbit has stepped up to the challenge, providing heat to a very large area, about twenty eight foot by twenty four foot with a high ceiling of about eighteen foot, keeping the room reasonably warm, warm enough for us not to use cardigans!”

Alan W

Small Stove Review 8

Very Pleased With Our Hobbit!

"We are very pleased with the stove and think it looks great! We restored our fireplace (it was hidden under plaster!) and the whole look is better than we hoped!"

Neil

Small Stove Review 2

Absolutely Delighted!

"Just had our Hobbit SE installed in our Victorian fireplace and we are absolutely delighted with the end result. We felt passionate about preserving our lovely fireplace!"

Andy

Small Stove Review 13

Our Pride And Joy!

"What a fantastic fireplace with the beautiful Hobbit stove. It fits perfectly into the small space and throws out a lot of heat. Here's a photo of our little stove, now our pride and joy and much admired by all who see and feel the warmth."

Chris and C

Small Stove Review 11

Fantastic!

"Just to bid you all a Happy New Year and to say how much we’re enjoying having our Hobbit stove! It was easy to fit with the help of your excellent ‘how to’ videos and we’re just awaiting our inspection by building control for the certification. The Hobbit has fitted neatly into the hearth vacated by the old gas back boiler (with a little cosmetic rendering) and never ceases to surprise us how much heat it can deliver to the point that the new condenser boiler is having an easy life, thereby saving us on gas bills too! Everyone loves having a ‘real fire’ in the living room."

Philip Baird

Small Stove Review 6

A Brilliant Little Wood Burner!

"The stove we bought from you is really starting to come into its own as the weather cools down. Here is a photo showing how much one of our dogs is enjoying it!"

Small Stove Review 1

Brilliant Product!

"Just wanted to share a picture of our newly installed Hobbit. Absolutely delighted with it, and so pleased we were able to retain our existing fireplace as well. Brilliant product, thank you!"

Marion

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