THE last working water-powered forge in England will be celebrating a milestone 200 year anniversary this weekend, with a day of events to highlight its history and entertain visitors.

Finch Foundry in Sticklepath will play host to demonstrations, games and activities for its anniversary on Saturday, and the National Trust will also be celebrating 20 years since taking over the mill.

Manager at Finch Foundry Ben Shapcott was keen to invite people along to the event to help them celebrate.

He said: 'The foundry is 200 years old this year and it's the 20th year the National Trust has been in charge, so it's a double celebration.

'The machinery here is older than our 200 years. It was taken from the Tavistock Iron Works in the early 1800s when it shut down, and was used to establish a tool mill here. It was one of the biggest in the South West of England during its time.'

For Saturday's event, the foundry will welcome local blacksmith Dave Denford who will hopefully be performing demonstrations throughout the day, depending on the weather, and the usual demonstrations will be running as normal.

There will also be a variety of games and activities going on throughout the day, including a coconut shy, giant lawn games, a number of competitions and a kids' trail for seven to 12 year olds.

Ben said: 'We want to make it a big celebration. We are inviting everyone to come along and join us — come along and have some fun!'

The former cloth mill building in Sticklepath was bought by William Finch in 1814. He turned the building into a manufacturer mainly of edged tools for tin miners, farmers and the agricultural workers living in the area. Though the business started small, the factory harnessed the power of the River Taw as William installed a ten foot waterwheel, and constructed a leat to carry water to the wheel from the river. As the business expanded, William installed two further waterwheels, both bigger than the first, to provide power for the machines he installed in the foundry.

These wheels were the powerhouse of the foundry. Through an elaborate system of cogs and gearwheels they could be used to operate enormous trip hammers, giant shears, which could cut through cold metal, and massive bellows to fire up the foundry fire.

Another waterwheel was also in place to power the foundry's grindstones.

In its heyday, more than 20 craftsmen worked at the foundry, all highly skilled to ensure that Finch Foundry's tools were of the highest quality and the machinery ran smoothly.

The Finch family — William, his sons and later their sons — ran the foundry for nearly 150 years. In 1960, the Finch brothers Albany, Thomas and James decided to cease production at Finch Foundry. They deemed that after the decades of continuous vibration, from the heavy weight of water tumbling onto the giant waterwheels, to the pounding of heavy machinery, the stone building was unsafe to use as a workshop.

Following its closure, the Finch Foundry Trust was set up by a group of enthusiastic volunteers to preserve the building as a working museum.

When the trust wound down, the National Trust stepped in to preserve the historic workshop and its equipment.

The vast majority of the foundry's machinery, from its waterwheels to its cogs, levers and pulleys all work today, and are often used for live demonstrations of the foundry's working environment, including the annual St Clement's Day celebrations. The traditional celebrations include the spectacular 'firing of the anvil' using gunpowder.

Saturday's celebrations will run from 11am to 5pm. Normal entry fees apply, National Trust members enter for free.