Having been made redundant in 1988, Graham Collier decided to try a new hobby — ironwork. Setting up a small workshop in his garage, he taught himself the necessary skills and techniques, and gradually acquired a range of equipment. The hobby soon grew into a business and Cornish Gates was born, quickly gaining a reputation for quality ornamental ironwork.

The business soon outgrew Graham's garage and in 1990 moved to a rented workshop, allowing it to expand. In 1998 Cornish Gates moved again, this time to its own, larger premises at the Old Railway Yard, Lanner Hill, near the site of a blacksmith's workshop which had existed there more than a hundred years previously.

Cornish Gates complimented its age-old traditional craftsmanship and unique, personal service with modern machinery and technology. Computer-aided design allowed customers to see how their finished order would look.

Graham likes a challenge and took on some unusual and interesting projects over the years. A local customer once asked him to make a statue of a knight in full armour using parts from scrapped cars. He was commissioned to redesign and improve a pair of massive wrought iron gates for a large house in Bedfordshire. He also repaired and restored local church gates at Gwennap, Lanner and Constantine, and made gates and railings for the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near St Austell.

Custom designs and unusual items were a Cornish Gates speciality. Amongst other things, Graham was asked to make a bunch of roses, a ram's head poker, a letter opener and a pair of gates with matching posts incorporating bull's head finials.

Working with materials other than wrought iron was also something Graham was willing to try. Amongst other things he manufactured gates incorporating wood and iron, and balconies with stainless steel frames and frosted glass panels.

Having gained planning position on the workshop site and secured his future, within the build Graham has incorporated a workshop containing much of the old equipment. This has allowed him to continue his passion in the world of blacksmithing, offering the same quality but on a smaller scale. The new business is called Des-iron.