Bridge 189 Chef Knife, Damascus wrought iron blade with a wooden handle on a wooden surface with grass in the background
Damascus wrought iron clad knife with a wooden handle on a rustic wooden surface
Decorative Damascus knife with a wooden handle on a wooden surface with grass in the background
Bridge Wood handled knife on a wooden surface with grass in the background showing bridge rail wrought iron detail
Railway wrought iron clad Damascus blade knife close-up with a wooden handle on a rustic wooden surface
Knife handle close-up showing the railway wrought iron plug detail in the back end of the railway pile wooden handle
Stack of wooden logs salvaged from Bridge 189 with a red arrow pointing to the actual piece of wood used in the knife handle, outdoors.
Stack of wrought iron rails salvaged from Bridge 189 with a red arrow pointing to the actual piece of railway iron used in the knife, set against a wall.
Historical black and white photograph showing railway workers during the construction of the Main North Line in the South Island of New Zealand in c1910.
Vintage black and white photograph taken around 1908 by Albert Percy Godber of a Class F New Zealand Railways 0-6-0ST saddle tank steam locomotive, part of a class of 88 locomotives built between 1872 and 1888 locomotive with several people standing around it.
The Blue Hole spring in Koromiko, located 15 minutes south of Picton, green mountains surround the clear blue water.
Volunteers participating in a community native species planting event along the banks of the Blue Hole spring with mountains in the background.

Bridge 189 Chef Knife

$2,000.00
$2,000.00

From railway relic to forged heirloom this knife is hand-forged with reclaimed iron from New Zealand's pioneering railway history in Marlborough.

The handle and display stand are crafted from a durable Australian hardwood—likely Grey Box wood—sourced from Bridge 189 (Bridge 189MNL) on the Main North Line, which spanned the Waiotari "Blue Hole" freshwater spring near Koromiko. This spring, long cherished by local iwi like Te Ātiawa as a traditional mahinga kai rich in food, flax, and resources, became a vital rail crossing in the late 19th century.

In recent years, the Blue Hole has undergone its own revival: willows cleared, over 1000 native plants replanted, and the site enhanced as part of the emerging Whale Trail—a shared cycling and walking path celebrating the region's natural and cultural treasures while breathing fresh life into this historic waipuna.

A local historian dates this wooden pile to Bridge 189’s original construction in 1879, part of the early Picton-Blenheim line that took root in the 1870s under Julius Vogel's visionary public works and immigration schemes. British wrought iron rail—imported to fuel the expansion and the thunder of the "iron horse"—clads 1084 and 15N20 Damascus steel, hand-forged into this one-of-a-kind heirloom integral chef's knife.

 

Blade length: 170mm 
Overall length: 305mm 
Year: 2025
Artist: Benjamin Madden

⚔️

If you would like to purchase this piece but live outside of New Zealand or Australia, please contact us directly to discuss your international shipping options. Thank you!