The Old Forge is a Grade II listed building in the Mid Suffolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 16 January 1995. Forge.

The Old Forge

WRENN ID
frozen-quoin-sienna
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Mid Suffolk
Constituency
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP: Patrick Spencer (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
16 January 1995
Type
Forge
Address
The Old Forge, Helmingham
OS grid reference
TM 187 571
Coordinates
52.16928, 1.19809
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Old Forge is a forge built around 1840, possibly designed by Anthony Salvin, who was active at Helmingham Hall around 1841. The structure is made of brick in Flemish bond and features a pair of angled brick stacks flanking a two-storey gable-facing range near the center of a single-storey block, with a ventilation louvre at the ridge. The right wing is longer than the left and has a pair of double doors from the 20th century. The ground floor has a window arrangement of 3: 3: 2: 1: 1. The gabled returns and facing gable have ornamental vergeboards. Inside, the remains of the original forge are largely intact. The building showcases a picturesque style that combines vernacular forms with elements of the 'cottage orne' tradition. The Old Forge is part of a group that includes cottages 3-8, 15-20, the Estate Yard, and the Old Post Office.

Local climate

The Old Forge sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 680 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 83% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 27 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 71% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

See all similar buildings →

this building   1 similar   nearby listed buildings

Nearby listed buildings

  1. The Old Post Office Grade II 52 m
  2. Estate Yard Grade II 55 m
  3. Estate Cottages Numbers 15 and 16 Grade II 126 m
  4. Estate Cottages Numbers 17 and 18 Grade II 170 m
  5. Estate Cottages Numbers 19 and 20 Grade II 214 m
  6. Estate Cottages Numbers 7 and 8 Grade II 235 m
  7. Parkgate House Grade II 275 m
  8. Estate Cottages Nunbers 5 and 6 Grade II 283 m
  9. Front Lodge and Screen Wall to Left Grade II 290 m
  10. Entrance Gateway and Piers to Helmingham Park, Between Front Lodges to Oak Walk Grade II 302 m