As far as I can see, on Etsy you get either lovely vintage tools or mass produced items which are personalised with an engraving. The one UK based exception that I could find is The Anvil and Yew who hand forge a garden trowel.
Burgon and Ball are a good option. Though now part of a Canadian owned conglomerate I am fairly certain they still manufacture tools in their La Plata factory in Sheffield. Given the size of the company and the diversity of their range I would be surprised if some of their output is not subcontracted, probably overseas.
From my experience, I wanted a feasibility test for a simple steel product I wanted to explore, so I emailed a series of these artisan blacksmiths and was routinely ignored by the lot of them. Possibly an example of 'cause & effect'?
Burgon & Ball's La Plata works at Malin Bridge is still there - it's near where I grew up and my parents still live about 10 minutes' walk away. How much they import these days, I don't know. But they do employ some local people at least, so I like to support them when I need a new garden tool.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Sadly Bulldog are not "made" in the UK but assembled in the UK. The same applies to Burgon. There should be a law which requires companies making claims to be locally manufactured that specifies the percentage of UK materials that genuinely means locally made. I want to buy locally sourced and made items and am prepared to pay for that. I dont want to buy from China.
Another option if you are looking to support local businesses is to buy refurbished tools. Repair, rust removal, handle replacement etc all usually happens pretty locally. Used to be a stall at the market though I don't know in COVID times.
Second hand tools can be found at car boot sales (assuming they will start up again in due course). For a couple of quid it’s worth cleaning them up and even if you use them for just one season before they fall apart, you’d know that every bit of ‘use’ in them had been used (hope this makes sense).
My neighbour found a blacksmith who made some wrought iron pot stands, trellis and obelisks for him. Nothing fancy, no curlicues etc but strong & well made. Slightly more expensive than in the likes of B&Q or local garden centres but longer lasting.
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Burgon and Ball are a good option. Though now part of a Canadian owned conglomerate I am fairly certain they still manufacture tools in their La Plata factory in Sheffield. Given the size of the company and the diversity of their range I would be surprised if some of their output is not subcontracted, probably overseas.
*Covid restrictions allowing
** if they haven't all gone out of business.
The same applies to Burgon.
There should be a law which requires companies making claims to be locally manufactured that specifies the percentage of UK materials that genuinely means locally made.
I want to buy locally sourced and made items and am prepared to pay for that. I dont want to buy from China.
https://www.implementations.co.uk/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.