Passionate about art and designing well-made items from a young age, blacksmithing offered Henry the perfect combination of creativity and craftsmanship.

Beginning his journey in blacksmithing in 2015, Henry was introduced to the trade by James Godbold, founder of Godbold Blacksmiths.

What started as Saturday work quickly turned into a 4-year apprenticeship which led to him working at Godbolds right through to 2024.

Despite James’s retirement, Henry was dedicated to continuing the traditional craft he was passionate about, which led to the creation of Finkle Forge Blacksmith & Metalworks in 2024.

Shortly after starting at Godbolds, Henry attended the Derwent Training Association in Malton studying Engineering & Fabrication (MIG, TIG and MMA) for 4 years, receiving a Distinction (D).

During his time at Godbolds, Henry studied the highly regarded Design & Forgework Skills (DFS) course led by Paul Allen at Herefordshire, Ludlow & North Shropshire College (HLNSC) for 2 years, where he received a Distinction Star (D*). Here, Henry had to produce 12 set projects focusing on different traditional blacksmithing skills, and for his final project he had to design and produce the piece, honing in on the techniques and skills he had learnt throughout his time on the course.

The Finkle Forge logo forges together the two ‘Fs’ of ‘Finkle Forge’, which also cleverly features the outline of a ‘H’ and ‘J’ for Henry Jackson’s initials.