National Trust Letter to DoP Heritage Branch about Blacksmith's Shop

Blacksmith's Shop, Bays 1 2, Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh

The National Trust is very concerned to hear that Guido Gouverneur and Wendie McCaffley and their "Wrought Artworks" blacksmithing, architectural metalsmithing, cast metal foundry and restoration business is being threatened with eviction from the Blacksmith's Shop in Bays 1 and 2 of the former locomotive workshops (now Australian Technology Park) at Eveleigh in Redfern.

It is difficult to imagine any more appropriate operation in this historic workshop. This is one of those rare occurrences when the perfect "tenant" can be found for such a unique and historically important industrial heritage site and collection. On their own marketing material the ATP promote the Blacksmith's Workshop in Bay 2 as housing "the largest collection of steam-powered machinery in the southern hemisphere, with some equipment still in working order."

Indeed, we understand that this blacksmithing business has been built up over a seventeen year period based on the Victorian blacksmithing equipment put in the care of Wrought Artworks.

They won a National Trust - EnergyAustralia Heritage Award in 2002 for their work in reproducing the gate and railings for the Centennial Park Reservoir and in 2001 Guido was awarded a Citizen of the Year award for conservation work on the Eveleigh machinery collection.

They produce Victorian style reproduction ironwork for greater Sydney and are about to be invited by the National Trust to quote for reproduction of the historic gates and fencing at historic Waverley Cemetery.

You may recall that the National Trust and Amex ran a Partners in Preservation Program competition requesting the public to vote on a range of potential sites that would receive funding for restoration work. This was the first time that AMEX has conducted this Partners in Preservation Program outside of the United States and the Waverley Cemetery won the $86,000 first prize for the restoration of its gates.

Guido and Wendie have been heavily involved in the only Trade Course in Blacksmithing in Australia at Ultimo TAFE and presently have three young people apprenticed in this rare trade skill with many more having been trained in the workshop.

The Heritage Council had recommended in 1997 that a $300,000 State Heritage Grant be awarded on a dollar for dollar basis with the ATP for restoration of the machinery collection to put it into working order. Although this grant was approved by the Minister for Planning the intended work was never carried out.

The Trust requests that the Heritage Branch consider urgent liaison with the Redfern Waterloo Authority to ensure that a long term lease is entered into by the Authority with Wrought Artworks and that the terms of this lease recognise the extraordinary contribution that this company has made and is continuing to make to skills training, heritage restoration and equipment restoration and maintenance of this unique collection of steam machinery.

The Trust strongly supports the detailed proposals put to the Heritage Branch by Guido Gouverneur in his letter dated 8th July, 2008 and entitled "The self-funding operational blacksmithing shop at Eveleigh". We also support the request by Guido to make a presentation to the next Heritage Council Meeting to present the matter personally.
Your response would be appreciated as this is a matter of great interest and concern to Trust members and the broader community.

Yours sincerely,

Graham Quint
Conservation Director