A blacksmith shop and foundry at Britannia Shipyards may still be a few years away.
Marie Fenwick, the site supervisor for Britannia, wrote to city councillors in a report on Tuesday that the shop and foundry is “not recommended at this time” because of other capital projects the historic site is committed to until 2018. In February Fenwick had been asked by councillors to explore the feasibility of such a plan.
A trained blacksmith exists at Burnaby Village Museum and Fort Langley Historic Site, according to Fenwick's report.
Britannia already has a blacksmith shop exhibit in the main shipyard.
In Steveston it is believed a working blacksmith and foundry could be part of summer programming that educates visitors on industrial practices from the turn of the twentieth century onward.
The report notes village fishermen frequented local foundries to obtain metal hardware, like propellers.
Blacksmiths were, and still are, a critical part of maintaining fishing fleets as their skills were essential in creating and fixing such parts for the boats.
Britannia is a large part of Steveston’s historic infrastructure that will be part of a city submission for National Historic Site designation for Steveston from Parks Canada, which is a first step in applying for UNESCO World Heritage Designation for the village.
Last week city council announced Coun. Linda Barnes will visit Mystic, CT, a historic fishing town on the east coast of the United States, to explore its historic sites and maritime museum, which is the largest in North America. The trip is in addition to other, previously scheduled, civic duties.
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