// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Blacksmithing returns to Gretna Green after 150 years
Joe Shevelan said it was "incredibly special" to be bringing blacksmithing back to Gretna Green
Blacksmithing has returned to Scotland's wedding capital for the first time in more than 150 years with the opening of a new forge.
Couples have married at the anvil in Gretna Green for centuries, but the traditional craft had disappeared from the village.
The new forge will offer visitors the chance to practise the skills involved and even allow newly-weds to create a keepsake of their own.
Resident blacksmith Joe Shevelan said it was "incredibly special" to be part of seeing the craft of shaping and joining metal return.
Over time marriages proved more lucrative than blacksmith work in Gretna Green
Gretna Green became a popular wedding venue due to its location in the south of Scotland.
The Marriage Act - passed in 1754 in England - outlawed marriages without parental consent if either party was under 21.
However, eloping couples could pop over the border and be married simply by stating their intent in front of witnesses - usually at the blacksmiths.
They would strike the anvil as part of the wedding ceremony - a tradition which has continued to this day.