Horse Power

This is a hand fullered horse’s fore-shoe. It was made by J. B. Packer & Son in Uffington Forge, Uffington, Oxfordshire. The collection was hung up on a board in the garage at ‘Curtis Cottage’. Each shoe had a typed label. 3 generations of the Packer family worked in the forge at Uffington. Henry E. J. Packer employed three to four men and they did a variety of work such as tractor and plough repairs involving welding, and wrought iron work as well as providing the service of farrier. In 1930 at the ‘Annual Farriery Competition’, organised by Berks. Co. Co., Henry E. J. Packer won first prize

This large pack horse bell, also known as a ‘rumbler’ or ‘crotal bell’, was made by Robert Wells of Aldbourne, Wiltshire, and probably dates from the eighteenth century or early nineteenth century. It is number 26 of a set. Most of the horse bells one finds are stamped RW for Robert Wells whose family were an old bell founders company in Aldbourne, Wilts. Their works were afterwards sold and became the foundation of the Whitechapel bell foundry