As you might have guessed the man shown above with the daft look and the half dozen pairs of tongs is me.

My name is Toby Forbes Gower and I am an award winning blacksmith who makes forged work across Kent, London, Sussex and Surrey under the business name Design in Metal.

For me Blacksmithing started as a teenage hobby, as a young man I attended a blacksmithing course through my local scout group (1st Woodchurch scouts), from there I was forging at any opportunity.

When I turned 19 I moved to Hereford to read a degree in Artist Blacksmithing at Hereford College of Arts. After three years I graduated from HCA with a first class degree (winning the Stanley Alcard Cup from the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths along with a handful of other awards for design and creativity in my craft).

After leaving HCA I set up a blacksmithing business under the name Design in Metal and began designing and making works in forged metal. I took my first orders in 2016 and the the 9 years that have followed to date I have made all sorts of things ranging from small trinkets, through gates and railings all the way up to staircases and other architectural ironwork. I have worked across the UK (Primarily in Kent, London and Sussex) and have created works pieces that have traveled the globe during the 9 years I have been running the business I have developed my skills and understanding to the point where now I am confident in taking on any project in forged or fabricated metal, if it can be made I can make it.

I pride myself in making pieces that are considered in their design, well executed in their manufacture, and finished and installed to the highest standard. My ambition when designing and making work more often than not is to make things that will still be functioning long after I am gone! In a world of planned obsolesce and mass made product it is immensely satisfying to produce high quality goods that stand the test of time.

So If you have a project in mind, be it a: handrail, garden gate, table, set of chairs, chandelier, staircase, fire basket or bottle opener! don’t hesitate to drop me a line, for a free no obligation design and quote.