In 1687, craftsmen from the sword-making town of Solingen in the Rhineland came to England, looking for a place that offered plenty of wood, iron and seclusion for their business. Eventually they chose Shotley Bridge in County Durham. Soon they were turning out swords that were unusually light, thanks to their hollow blade technology.

The settlers’ sword-making business, backed by English investors, quickly prospered; Robert Oley’s flexible blade, which could be curled up inside a hat, was a measure of their craftsmanship. However, the peace that followed Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 and the growth of manufacturing towns further south led to a decline. The last Shotley Bridge sword was made in 1840.

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