Robert Bakewell was an English smith

Smith (metalwork)

A metalsmith, often shortened to smith, is a person involved in making metal objects. In contemporary use a metalsmith is a person who uses metal as a material, uses traditional metalsmithing techniques , whose work thematically relates to the practice or history of the practice, or who engages in...

. He took an apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 as an iron worker and became an extremely skilled ironsmith.

In 1706, he started working at Melbourne Hall

Melbourne Hall

Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire, England was once the seat of the Victorian Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, and thus is the ultimate origin for the naming of Melbourne, Australia. The house is now the seat of Lord Ralph Kerr and Lady Kerr and is open to the public...

 for Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke (privy counsellor)

Thomas Coke was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1698 and 1715.Coke was the son of John Coke and his wife Mary Leventhorpe, daughter of Sir Thomas Leventhorpe, 4th Baronet. He was born at Melbourne, Derbyshire where he was baptised on 19 February 1675....

, and living in the town of Melbourne

Melbourne, Derbyshire

Melbourne is a Georgian market town in South Derbyshire, England. It is about 8 miles south of Derby and 2 miles from the River Trent. In 1837 a then tiny settlement in Australia was named after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister, and thus indirectly takes...

. In the gardens at the hall, a wrought iron arbour created by Robert Bakewell can still be seen today: it is known locally as 'the Birdcage'.

Following an affair with a local woman, Elizabeth Fisher, resulting in the birth of a son, Bakewell Fisher, he moved from Melbourne to Derby, where he set up a workshop and forge at Oake's Yard in St Peter's Street. Later, he married Mary Cokayne and had a family of three sons and three daughters. He died in 1752 and is buried in St Peter's Church, Derby

St Peter's Church, Derby

St Peter's Church is an Church of England parish church in the city of Derby, UK. It is one of Derby's city centre churches which is in full use for worship. The church building dates from the 11th century and recently celebrated its 950th anniversary...

.

Examples of his work can be seen at Derby Cathedral

Derby Cathedral

The Cathedral of All Saints , is a cathedral church in the City of Derby, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Derby, and with an area of around is the smallest Anglican cathedral in England.-History:...

, where he made the wrought iron

Wrought iron

thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...

 rood screen

Rood screen

The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...

 and the gates at the west door. There are also wrought iron gates by Bakewell at the Derby Industrial Museum

Derby Industrial Museum

Derby Silk Mill, formerly known as Derby Industrial Museum, is a museum of industry and history in Derby, England. The museum is housed in Lombe's Mill, a historic former silk mill which marks the southern end of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Between 1717 and 1721 George Sorocold...

, and ironwork by him in a number of churches in Derbyshire towns and villages: Alvaston

Alvaston

Alvaston is a suburb and ward of Derby, England. Alvaston is situated on the A6, three miles south-east of Derby city centre. It is bordered to the north by the wards of Derwent, Chaddesden and Spondon, to the east is the City Centre, to the south are Sinfin and Chellaston and to the west the...

, Ashbourne

Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...

, Borrowash

Borrowash

Borrowash is a village in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, situated immediately east of the Derby city boundary.-Amenities:In the village there is a Co-operative supermarket, which is located amongst a number of shops including a butcher, a building society agency, an insurance...

, Duffield, Etwall

Etwall

Etwall is a civil parish and village in Derbyshire, England. It is located southwest from Derby on the A50.-Geography:Etwall is squeezed between the A516, which bypassed the village in February 1992, and the A50. The A516 draws a lot of heavy traffic heading for the M1 north.The village has its...

, Foremark

Foremark

Foremark is a small manor and hamlet with a ruling Lord's country house - Foremarke Hall - in southern Derbyshire, England.-Location:...

, Radbourne. In Leicestershire at Staunton Harold

Staunton Harold

Staunton Harold is a civil parish in North West Leicestershire about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire and about south of Derby....

church, a splendid screen by Bakewell can be seen.