An historic blacksmith's forge bound for the scrapheap has been saved - and will now become a working museum piece at Tooley's Boatyard, in Banbury.

The forge was rescued from the Sapa works, in Southam Road - formerly Alcan. It was due to be sent for scrap when the factory closes later this year.

Matt Armitage, joint owner of Tooley's, said: "I think the forge is about 120 years old. It's cast iron and was made at Bernhard Samuelson's foundry in Banbury.

"The forge would not have been part of the aluminium process at Alcan, but would probably have been used for making tools and wheel rims. In the early days at Alcan, they might have used horse-drawn wagons and the forge could been used to make horseshoes."

Mr Armitage said he would restore it to working order. He said: "We run blacksmithy courses here and I would like to use it in conjunction with those.

"This forge symbolises the industrial heritage of the town. I couldn't let it go to scrap."

Chris Hone, of Banbury Civic Society, who co-ordinated the rescue, said: "The Samuelson Foundry was massive and Bernhard Samuelson was a major benefactor to the town.

Bernhard Samuelson bought a small foundry in Banbury in 1849 and transformed it into the Britannia Works, which employed 500 people by 1870. He was the MP for Banbury for many years.