My grandfather emigrated from Glasgow after WW1 and went to work for Metters. He could walk down the streets of Paddington and other suburbs and name the patterns and who cast them. Most of the cast iron lacework was shipped to Australia and other colonies as ships' ballast from foundries in England and Scotland.What people don't realize is that the foundries shut down from November to end of February because of the heat. There were no unions then, so no unemployment benefits, Most families had hard times at Christmas. There is a real art to sand casting and those who do it well are rightly proud of their skills. Unfortunately nowadays we don't want to pay for good craftsmanship.
Wow! Where was it located in Newtown? the old Gould's bookstore at the top of King Street was once a foundry but we don't think it was the one featured here.
Gritty , physical , arty and not for the faint hearted. An art that has probably disappeared in Australia now. And an inner city working community that no longer exists. Fascinating that this is less than 40 years ago.
Well, when your options as a minor are working grueling manual labor for sub-par pay until you gain enough experience, or remaining connected to the endlessly flowing information/social lifestream that is modern wireless communication, the choice is clear. Remember, when papyrus came around in the Ancient World, parents complained that their children wouldn't have to memorize The Illiad and The Odyssey by heart any longer! 👍
A tough job done by rough men, but they must have had some sense of, and satisfaction from, producing such a public and enduring form of beauty.
These men seem by no means to be uniformly " rough". The main chap seems a true old style gentleman.
My grandfather emigrated from Glasgow after WW1 and went to work for Metters. He could walk down the streets of Paddington and other suburbs and name the patterns and who cast them. Most of the cast iron lacework was shipped to Australia and other colonies as ships' ballast from foundries in England and Scotland.What people don't realize is that the foundries shut down from November to end of February because of the heat. There were no unions then, so no unemployment benefits, Most families had hard times at Christmas.
There is a real art to sand casting and those who do it well are rightly proud of their skills. Unfortunately nowadays we don't want to pay for good craftsmanship.
Serious respect for these artisans.
Thanks.
Thanks for the upload. Paid a visit in 1988. Great experience. Today, the site is a day care.
Wow! Where was it located in Newtown? the old Gould's bookstore at the top of King Street was once a foundry but we don't think it was the one featured here.
@@NFSAFilms
Next to the railway line. Liberty, Bedford, and Trade streets.
Thank you.
@@NFSAFilms
You're welcome. 👍✌
What a great film........Cheers. Anymore?
A couple more in this series - paint and plaster.
local foundry, similar to this one, near where I worked at Herton in Brisbane closed in the 90's. Dont know of any left in this old style.
Nothing has the beauty of cast iron be it a chair or a stove , and longevity. Hard working men
a beautiful little film. thank you very much.
Thank you too! It's quite a meditative piece.
that’s how i felt, too. :)
Great video and those were the days were people didn’t mind getting there 🤚 dirty. A dying art nowadays!
Getting dirty wasn't a problem. Getting killed, as one man was shortly before I visited in 1988, that's another matter...
@@nista67 so your visit was an unpleasant one. That’s terrible
Love the artisans series
I love the beautiful iron works on the terraces in Paddington, Sydney.
I think this art work is now dead. Sad but true.
They brought a lot of it out as ballast on the ships in the 19th century.
Gritty , physical , arty and not for the faint hearted. An art that has probably disappeared in Australia now. And an inner city working community that no longer exists. Fascinating that this is less than 40 years ago.
The hot success of this production was due to the fine cast🤔🍻
🤦🏼♀️
not even 40 years ago, crazy.
Just think he started when he was 14 years old. You can’t pull a kid away from there cellphone 📱 or PlayStation nowadays.
Well, when your options as a minor are working grueling manual labor for sub-par pay until you gain enough experience, or remaining connected to the endlessly flowing information/social lifestream that is modern wireless communication, the choice is clear. Remember, when papyrus came around in the Ancient World, parents complained that their children wouldn't have to memorize The Illiad and The Odyssey by heart any longer! 👍
I'm guessing filmed in the 70s.
1984
@@NFSAFilms you answered my one question on what year it was.
@@NFSAFilms another great video keep them coming!!
@@NFSAFilms it doesn’t seem so long ago does it.
I notice non of the men wearing protective gear. The days before OH&S. Burrrr.
Yes. Although he does mention they wear spats on their boots to stop the molten metal from dripping onto their feet!!!
@@NFSAFilms you can’t pull away a 14 year old kid nowadays to do this kind of work. They be lost without there cellphone or PlayStation.
Protective gear while jack hammering in a furnace? A rolly.... Tough men all gone now
And now it's all made in China!
Not all. Foundry in Botany.
I thought it was Taiwan