Arts & Crafts Cotswold School Steel Fire Tools on Original Stand (c.1910)
£1,800
Width: 9.84 in (25 cm)
Depth: 9.84 in (25 cm)
1910-1919
About this piece
A Cotswold School Arts & Crafts fire tool set of forged steel, comprising poker, tongs, shovel, and brush, hanging from the original hand-forged stand with scroll holders.
This Arts & Crafts fire tool set (c.1910) exemplifies the Cotswold School approach to domestic metalwork, where utility and craftsmanship were inseparable. The set comprises four forged steel implements: poker, shovel, brush, and tongs, each suspended from the original stand with rat-tail scroll hooks beneath a pierced diamond finial.
Hand-forged by a skilled blacksmith working within the Cotswold tradition, the tools exhibit subtle hammer marks and twisted shafts, testifying to the integrity of hand production central to the Arts & Crafts movement (1880–1910). The stand rises on a tripod base with shaped feet, balanced for both durability and proportion.
Such sets were typical of workshops influenced by the Guild of Handicraft ethos established by C. R. Ashbee, where the blacksmith’s role extended into design. The restrained, functional character aligns closely with the vernacular honesty and rural aesthetic that defined the Cotswold School’s contribution to English craft revival.
Measurements:
Tongs: L41 cm × W17 cm (16 ¹⁄₈ in × 6 ¹¹⁄₁₆ in)
Brush: L36 cm × W3.2 cm (14 ³⁄₁₆ in × 1 ¹⁄₄ in)
Poker: L41 cm × W3.2 cm (16 ¹⁄₈ in × 1 ¹⁄₄ in)
Spade: L40.5 cm × W12 cm (15 ⁵⁷⁄₆₄ in × 4 ³⁴⁄₆₄ in)
