Smithy Heritage Centre

31/08/2026

Hi and welcome to item 11 from this years exhibition.
This has been one of my favourite items to display this year.
A little girls knitted dress in 2 shades of green.
For this to have survived is amazing. The child must only have been about 2 so would have been too young to be evacuated so stayed with her mum.
The dress has numerous repairs all over it - you can imagine her mum sitting stitching it time after time.
Unlike today where even with 1 rip it would have been thrown away the "Make do & Mend" and restrictions on purchasing new clothes under the clothing coupons system made it wastefull to throw it.
I also think it must have meant something special to have been kept for many many years - i wonder what the really story is ??????

09/08/2026

Well here it is !!!!!!!

The 11th Great Eccleston "BAKE OFF"....
Sunday 20th September.......

As part of our Heritage open weekend - everyone welcome !!

Click on the rules & entry form below- to enter just bring your cake and filled out form on Sunday 20th September between 12 noon and 3pm. Judging will be between 3.15 pm and 3.45pm with trophys awarded at 4pm.

Entry forms are also avalible from The Smithy Heritage centre open 1pm to 4pm every Sat & Sun.

08/08/2026

Hi and welcome to "Item 10" from this years exhibition "What no Sweets" - children in wartime.

Well i surpose this is a collection of items on one theme......

Children - mainly boys - were facinated by the many planes, and plane spotting became the new hobby, especially in the south of England where the white trails in the sky told of viscious "dog fights". Knowing what planes were what and being able to identify them was a skill many children aspired to. Not wanting to miss a trick companies quickly produced "plane spotting guides and even plane spotters note books.

The raid spotters book photographed is one of our favourite little items - this kid was obviously not very good at identifying aircraft but not wanting to miss out just recorded his spotting as - plane, plane, plane, plane - then another plane..............

06/08/2026

26/07/2026

Welcome to "Item 9" from this years exhibition "What no Sweets ?" Children in Wartime.

This time we have chosen a paper item sent out to all the school children that had endured the hardships of war.
Many had been evacuated (both here in the UK and overseas). Or had found themselves welcoming evacues into their home.
Rationing was perticularly hard on children and unfortunatly when this was sent out in June 1946 it continued for another 8 years !!.

7736 children under the age of 16 had been killed, with a further 7622 seriously wounded.
Child fatalities accounted for almost 19% of all civilians killed.

Children left school at the latest aged 14. Earlier if they had a job to go to. Which compared to today seems stupidly young.

Many had undertaken wartime jobs as Messengers , carrying written instructions from bomb sites to the services required such as Police, Fire service (NFS / AFS), Ambulance , Rescue workers. A dangerous job in the blackout with an air raid in progress.
They collected "Salvage" - paper,bones, metal etc.
The Boy Scouts & Girl Guide groups undertook many jobs.

Pop along to the exhibition to find out more.........

12/07/2026

Welcome to item 8 from this years exhibition "What no sweets" - children in wartime.

Well its actually 3 items that go together !

Tank, Tank & Tank..........

The 2 wooden tanks have been handmade from bits of wood, bottle tops & nails.

Very possibly Christmas or a Birthday present made by a grandad in his garden shed or workshop. A simple gift made from bits avalible.
Unlike today where children are spoiled and expect so much, in Wartime it wasnt an option.
Many companies swopped their usual products to those required for the war effort.
For example "Meccano / Triang" mid war changed from toys to supplying Sten Guns to the forces.
And bringing goods & supplies into the country was difficult due to ships being sunk by U boats.

Obviously boy's had a facination with war, and war based magazines and books became popular.

12/07/2026

Here at The Smithy weve decided to do something different this year !!!

Come along on the 9th August for a "Vintage Afternoon Tea.

Be spoiled with homemade Scones & Clotted cream and plenty of cake !!

Our exhibition - "What no sweets" will be open as well.

Booking essential.

28/06/2026

Lovely article on The Smithy Heritage Centre in this months - Glass Eye Magazine .....

18/04/2026

Welcome to our 2nd & 3rd items from this years exhibition - "What no sweets?" - children in wartime.

This week we have chosen 2 items that go together.

It was popular both First & Second world war for people to make "copy" uniforms of the service or regiment the father was serving in for their young boys.

This wonderful Royal Marines jacket would probably fit a 2 or 3 year old.The matetial is a black wool. The brass buttons are real small Royal Marines buttons. The collar dogs are hand embroidered and the rank stripes are made from red felt and some haberdashery ribbon.

Item number 3 to go with it are a pair of Leather military pattern childs shoes.
These have never been worn and came in the original box.
These are also marked with the CC41 mark showing they were made under strict wartime goverment guidelines (more of this in future posts).

Enjoy !!!!