RECREATINGARROWSOFDISTANTCULTURES
RECREATINGARROWSOFDISTANTCULTURES
HECTOR Cole is a man with a fascination with everything ancient and made from metal. Hes not really a blacksmith in the generally accepted sense.
"I make arrowheads and other iron items exactly as they would have been made centuries ago. In some cases Im making items that havent been produced for thousands of years." says Hector, as he examines a medieval arrowhead. "Most people think an arrowhead is a simple thing, but I make 22 different types. Im commissioned by museums and there are lots of re-enactment societies who want things to be historically correct.
He carries out exhaustive research into the relevant period and what the arrowhead would have been used for. The arrowhead used for hunting game, for instance, is different to the ones used by the English longbowmen at Agincourt.
Hector began forging arrowheads as a schoolboy and he turned a hobby into a career. After 50 years he still finds it utterly compelling.
Paul Felix
Hector working at his forge at Little Somerford, Wilts, and some of his arrowheads