Author Archives: John Churchil
King and corn sheaf vane. (1999)
. A pair of weathervanes for a housing development; the images of corn sheaf and kings head were to do with the local history. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
‘Dragon’ vane. (2003)
. Weathervane for ‘dragon’ sailor. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Destroyer vane. (1999)
. Weathervane for a retired destroyer captain. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Owl and retiring rat. (1995)
. A simple weather vane featuring a Beatrix Potter rat seeking to retire discreetly from the company he has found himself in.. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
Stainless steel and bronze stepping stones (2002)
. Originally commissioned as a small bridge, this series of stainless concentric rings – supported from an a frame at the bottom of the pool (suspended from the banks) – permitted access across the pool in a succinct, if occasionally … Continue reading
Large bird feeder. (2008)
. Commissioned by the family of a keen bird watcher as a mark of their appreciation for the excellent care she had received in her nursing home during her last few years. The feeder was large because it had to … Continue reading
Cover of Nigerian bird totem (1994)
. forged bird sculpture after traditional african bird totems in the customers collection. Initial idea/concept; customer Design; traditional?/ jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb … Continue reading
Hooped walkway. (2008)
. formed and forged ex round bar and rivetted together on site. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john … Continue reading
Brackets and Hooks
. Various brackets and hooks. Below; a display of hooks, many of which are also featured and offered for sale in Capton Hooks ; Some fixed coat hooks on a rails; Some coat hooks and miscellaneous other … Continue reading
St Ives Jumbo
In recent years I have supplied several boat sets of forged wrought iron fitments – stembands, scud hooks and breastplates – for the St Ives Jumbos that Jonny Nance has been building. Here are some details of them. For more … Continue reading
Profiles
. Above; a table and chair designed and made in collaboration with photographer Paul Biddle in the mid 80s’ out of some ground anchors and industrial profiles from my place of work at the time. Welded and brazed; finish wax … Continue reading
Whirlything
. The first images show the initial maquette / design proposal for what was eventually to become a large (five metre tall) device to illustrate an illusion. The device is intended to travel and be dismountable with relative ease, hence … Continue reading
Three legged wood burner. (1988)
. One of my earliest forays into the world of solid fuel stoves. Three legs for stability with a top flue and a wrap around backboiler that supplied the heat for a couple of upstair radiators. Multifuel with air supply … Continue reading
‘Fuge’ type multifuel stoves. (1988 -1998)
. A few variations on the theme of this medium sized multifuel stove with mica windows. Shown with different flue positions and detailing according to requirements. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
Firedoor for a gas fire (1996)
. Supplied to specification of the gas fitters so that it can be lifted off easily if so desired. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing … Continue reading
‘Sunburst’ woodburner. (1998)
. A medium sized log burner with secondary air inlet and toploading facility; floor vent below stove supplies the air from outside. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
‘Lotus’ stoves. (1998)
. A pair of stoves which were made for a Buddhist retreat centre in Ireland. The windows to both stoves shared the motifs of the shamrock, rose and lotus, in reference to the english origins of the founders of the … Continue reading
Hob grate stove. (1999)
. A medium sized multifuel stove with a vertical register plate blanking off the large (and smokey) fireplace. The period of the house suggested the form of the stove, in so far as there would very possibly have been a … Continue reading
Large double ended stove with saddle boiler. (2008/9)
. This woodburner was intended to be accessed from both sides and to run the heating of a good sized dwelling. It was one cubic metre in size, two vertical register plates allowed access to the fireplace and the plumbing,, … Continue reading
Pizza oven door.(2011)
. A large plate door to protect and contain a built in pizza oven. Initial idea/concept; janine ston (simon Foot Design; simon Foot/jcb Detailing … Continue reading
Double doored woodburner. (1989)
. A medium sized, double doored, wood burner with slider air controls and no window. The towel rails at the top pull out to allow for controllable drying of clothes etc. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; … Continue reading
Flue guard with clothes hooks.(2012)
. The task here, due to limited space in this lobby area to a field centre type building, was to keep people away by a safe distance from the flue pipe at the same time as deriving some other … Continue reading
Enclosed fireplaces. (1988 -2004)
. Detailed below are a few sets of doors of different configurations, designed with a view to gaining some of the benefits of a stove , while retaining the option of having a bona fide open fire when required. They … Continue reading
Gas bottle stove with oven (1986)
. A good sized multi fuel stove with oven created from an old gas bottle. The oven floor opens up to allow for top loading of the fire, which can also be done via the front door – by … Continue reading
Various.
. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Tuckenhay fireplace. (1998 – 2009)
. Firefront and grate to the owners design. Initial idea/concept; customer Design; cutomer Detailing cutomer/ jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Snake grate fire basket. (1998)
. Forged basket with coiled up snake as the grate; a ‘blow fork’ accompanied the basket as multi purpose tool. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb … Continue reading
‘Slumped’ fire basket and back. (1999)
. Heavy duty frame and back with the grate formed from one long bar and the fire back hung from the frame as with a gong. Made for the ‘Hotstuff’ exhibition at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen (c1999) Initial … Continue reading
Adjustable canopy. (1997)
. Hood for a troublesome fireplace, which performed very inconsistently according to wind direction. The canopy can be lowered to deal with the worst conditions, and raised out of the way when conditions are more favourable. The ring handle operates … Continue reading
Lamper head fireplace and stack. (1995 -2003)
. The provision and fitting of waxed, rusted plate steel cladding to this stack was the first element of this job; some years later came the textured fire surround and the edging for the granite hearth. Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb … Continue reading
Firebasket with ‘winejug’ andirons. (2002)
. This very wide fireplace in a late 16th century manor house, was split in two in order to reduce smoking and to provide wood storage. The large rivetted canopy reduced the fireplace aperture still further and the proportions thus … Continue reading
Heavy duty firebasket. (2003)
. A large firebasket and fire back suspended from a one piece 50mm dia forged frame. The basket rocks forward to enable ash to be removed easily. As well as forged tongs and poker there is a large fork, the … Continue reading
Smorgasbord
. The gallery below aims to illustrate the breadth of variety of commission undertaken over the last twenty five years and to thus give some feeling for what benefit I might bring to a project. My normal terms and conditions … Continue reading
Mechanisms , devices, contraptions..
. A lot of my activity has involved mechanisms and devices , both useful and fanciful, of varying degrees of cunning and complication Also a few ‘contraptions’… Some have been very simple and straightforward and perform useful tasks quite obviously – … Continue reading
Partystands
. Wine glass and bottle stands for wedding reception Initial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Sign 1996
. Forged sign to hang outside former mill building .
Garden gate
. Single leaf entrance gate to garden. Initial idea/concept; jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Tie Bars
. Simple forged tie bars wrapping around the timber elements for the refurbishment of a small barn. nitial idea/concept; customer/jcb Design; jcb Detailing … Continue reading
The Blacksmith and the Tailor
THE BLACKSMITH AND THE TAILOR. (or ‘an apology for dodgy tassels’) The king wanted to have a new castle built for him and so he called together the best craftsmen in the land and told them that, when this castle … Continue reading
Details
. I invest a good deal of time and effort in trying to achieve good detailing, as I feel this is important; A few details around gates, doors, windows; Some general details;
Spoons
. Hand forged stainless steel spoons, varying sizes. (initialled) Initial idea/concept; jcb Design; jcb Detailing jcb Executed jcb (john churchill)
Us and Iron
Us and Iron (or Iron, the universe, and everything). Iron is a major component, literally, of our world, even of our solar system. In the ‘Red Giant’ stage of what we understand to be the life cycle of a star … Continue reading
Boat stove. (1986)
. An old acetylene bottle provided the pretty indestructible basis of this funky little number which went into a converted lifeboat sailing (some of) the seven seas. Totally secure front door for when sailing and the small bread oven were … Continue reading