Spade making (forged heads)

Hand-forged spade making in the UK has a long and rich history, deeply tied to the country’s agricultural and industrial heritage.

Early Beginnings (Medieval Period – 18th Century)

Spades have been essential tools for farming, gardening, and construction since medieval times. Early spades were made from wood, sometimes reinforced with iron. By the 17th and 18th centuries, blacksmiths began hand-forging iron spades, using local materials and traditional forging techniques.

Industrial Revolution (18th – 19th Century)

The Industrial Revolution (late 18th to early 19th century) transformed spade-making. Sheffield, Birmingham, and Wigan became key centers of tool production due to their access to coal, iron, and skilled labor. Factories began mass-producing spades, though many were still finished by hand. Brands like Elwell and Bulldog Tools emerged as leading manufacturers, using steam-powered hammers and forges.

Hand-Forging Traditions (19th – 20th Century)

Despite industrialization, hand-forged spades remained in demand, particularly among professionals like farmers and landscapers who valued durability. Traditional methods, such as fire-welding a steel cutting edge onto an iron blade, continued in small workshops.

The mid-20th century saw a decline in hand-forged spades as cheaper, factory-made tools flooded the market. However, in recent decades, there has been renewed interest in handcrafted tools, driven by heritage appreciation and demand for high-quality, long-lasting equipment.

Basic forging techniques including punching, Fullering, forge welding, drawing, playing and shaping.

Everywhere developed spades of their own kind and form at different times. But the Irish spade has 150 types and iron tipped spades we have are from coastal and boggy regions in Ulster.

The following sustainability issues were highlighted by Richard Carter Ltd., which manufacture bent steel spades, rather than forged spades.

• Training issues/recruitment issues: Always a challenge to recruit new staff for physically difficult and dirty jobs in a predominately male environment. Also very hard to find suitable people with the right work ethic – many school-leavers have no idea what industry is like.
• Foreign competition: Competition from cheaper foreign imports is always an issue
• Market issues: There has been a change in consumer’s attitudes towards quality – customers don’t necessary see the value in paying for quality and would prefer to buy cheaper alternatives even if they don’t last as long
• Market issues: Have to rely on making a high-end/niche product – the market just isn’t there if you rely on volume

• Patterson’s Spade Mill – based in Templepatrick, County Antrim, Northern Ireland are the last surviving water-driven spade mill in the British Isles.

Richard Carter Ltd, Huddersfield, do make spade heads, but these are made from bent mild steel, rather than by forging. They are the only company manufacturing spades and shovels on a commercial basis, primarily for contract/utility work but also a small amount for garden retail. Also manufacture handles, edge and other tools. Twenty people working in the factory.

Until recently, Bulldog Tools manufactured garden spades and forks in the UK. They have since out-sourced the forging of the heads to their factory in India, but still make the handles in Wigan and assemble the finished product in the UK.