Dennis (T?) Warman – a master craftsman caught on film. Still taken from the accompanying film.
A quick one for Sunday afternoon and a gem for fans of industrial history – a film about Lorinery, or the trade of making bits and hardware for saddlery, once as common in Walsall as the associated leather industry.
Loriners were known as forgers, and this is a remarkable documentary on the subject of a dying, but not quite dead trade, and features a Walsall Loriner Dennis Warman. His skill is superb and the film is a testament to a lost industrial art.
The documentary seems to have been made by the Worshipful Company of Loriners (an old Guild as far as I can tell), to record their dying industry, which is sad. I have no idea of the age, and it appears to have been originally on film rather than video tape.
I know little about the film, or Dennis – there are some credits at the end, and it appears to be produced by Stanley Schofield Productions. I was sent it via dropbox from reader John Jones, of Bloxwich, who bought a box of VHS tapes at a boot sale a few weeks ago and is gradually converting them to digital. He thinks there may be more to come.
I’m curious about Dennis, as his name is listed as T. Warman in the titles. Can anyone shed any light on this remarkable craftsman? He also exhibits a beautiful Walsall accent with impressive eloquence.
I thank John for this wonderful and generous contribution. If anyone knows about it, or the Loriner featured, please do comment or get in touch – BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Thanks.