Throughout the ages a lot of activity on a farm has revolved around the kitchen and the kitchen was the place that was looked after first. An open fireplace with all the utensils were acquired or made first.. Utensils for coffee-, butter-, soap-, and candle-making along with those used for cooking had to be made by the farmer himself when the services of a blacksmith was not available. The skills of a blacksmith were in such demand that a very wealthy farmer often employed one full-time. Most often though a group of farmers would employ a blacksmith and build him a foundry on one of the farms. With the advent of towns, blacksmiths set up their own foundries. One of the most charming things to find is an old repair done by the farmer in the absence of a professional craftsman.. Whenever we find that we take great pains in not removing it. When you look at a large collection of kitchen utensils like the one at Boeshmanskloof one can see the distinct similarities between pieces. So little research has been done on Blacksmiths of the Cape , but they all seemed to have had distinctive and favourite patterns that they liked to use as decoration.