I must have walked past Salisbury Cathedral hundreds of times.  There is much vying for attention as I pass the beautiful carved stonework of the exterior, but my eye is often drawn to a small wooden door, always closed, under a gothic arch and with a large metal handle. This is the subject of today’s sketch.

I have always loved wrought iron, whether on railings, gates or door handles.  This is a particularly splendid door handle.  What is the shape reminiscent of? A bell? A horseshoe? A stirrup perhaps, attached to a large and decorative metal plate. The Cathedral is celebrating this year the 800th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone.  How old might this handle be, I wonder?

As I study the metal work, undisturbed during lockdown by groups of tourists, I notice that each curlicue is a little different. The one on the right has a flatter tip. This is the attraction of hand made articles; you can see the hand of the maker, also evident in the hammered finish.  As I look and draw, I can imagine the heat of the furnace, the skill of the smith in turning and cutting, and the weight of the instruments flattening the plate.  It is a thing made with pride – and still an object of beauty, hundreds of years later.