THE WORLD was a very different place when John and Isabella Currie set up their blacksmithing smiddy in Sandbank in 1851.
The Great Exhibition in London was wowing visitors from across the world, Bells produced its first whisky blend and the forerunner to Caledonian MacBrayne was established to ferry passengers around the west coast of Scotland.
Exactly 175 years later, John Currie’s pioneering spirit is still in evidence and the business is in capable hands with Iain, Finlay and Ben Currie, the fourth, fifth and sixth generations respectively, at the helm.
Indeed, the firm is still located at Vulcan Place in the village and is named after the Vulcan Ironworks in Glasgow, where John Currie served his apprenticeship, as well as being a nod to the Roman god of fire.
It’s the longest-running, family-owned business in Cowal and one of the oldest in Scotland, and a heritage that Finlay (58) is acutely aware of: To have been around for 175 years suggests we’re doing something right, and hard graft combined with a strong desire to keep traditional blacksmithing skills alive is helping us to forge a future for the business.
I learnt the trade from my father Archie, who passed away two decades ago, but his brother, my uncle Iain, is still going strong.
We’re now utilising the latest welding and cutting machinery, but the craftsmanship and approach of days gone by are still very much at the heart of everything we do.
We’ve even got our own mascot in Annie, our wee border terrier.
John’s family were moved from their farm on Arran during the Clearances to Knockamillie Farm in Innellan. Being the youngest in the family, he decided to move to Glasgow to serve his apprenticeship and become a blacksmith at the Vulcan Ironworks. He then moved to Sandbank to start the business in 1851. There was a lot of work back then, with nearly 100 ponies and horses to shoe at the gunpowder mill in Clachaig, Glenlean.
The closure of the mills coincided with the growth of boat building on the Holy Loch. Second-generation Archie found a growing demand for his iron and metalworking skills, and the business continued to develop in lockstep with the growth of Sandbank and Dunoon.
Archie also made ploughs and harrows, with many being transported across the Atlantic to the New World of Canada. He also made horseshoes for the British Army in the First World War.
George was also a farrier in the Great War and was very active during World War Two, working on Admiralty and Royal Air Force launches constructed at the Morris & Lorimer and Alexander Robertson & Sons boatyards on the Holy Loch.
The business soon expanded and diversified to encompass a wide range of iron and metalwork products, and its craftsmanship can be seen at many landmarks and historic buildings across the region and further afield, including the iconic golden gates of Benmore Botanic Garden, which they regularly upgrade and maintain.
Finlay, a keen boxer in his younger days, added: It’s a cliché, but no two days are the same. This week alone has seen us making posts for a carport in Inveraray and a wheelchair ramp for Holy Loch Marina, as well as a number of other projects. It’s a constant challenge when it comes to planning and manufacturing, but an exciting one.
The presence of the US Navy on the Holy Loch brought in a steady stream of work that only increased when the Americans left in 1991.
Finlay added: A lot of the housing stock used by the US Navy needed improving, and it kept us very busy for a number of years.
We’re only as good as our last job, so it’s vital to maintain the highest of standards. Word of mouth spreads fast in these parts.
Finlay and wife Joanne play an active role in the local Sandbank community, with Finlay on the board of the Dunoon BID (Business Improvement District), as well as being president of the Upper Cowal Curling Club.
He said: I was chair of Dunoon BID up until a couple of years ago, and I’m fully behind their efforts to promote businesses in Dunoon and the surrounding BID area.
It’s so important to become a proactive part of the community. We all must strive to leave the world a better place for future generations.
Finlay’s son, Ben (27), represents that future, and he’s proud to be playing his part.
A former rugby player with Cowal and Greenock Wanderers, Ben said: I love this part of the world and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. To be involved in such a well-established family business is a great and proud feeling.
You can’t beat making sparks fly.
Long may that continue as Finlay, his uncle Iain and Ben, along with their canine companion Annie, look to keep the George H Currie family legacy going for many generations to come.
