The Old Forge

The Old Forge is a house incorporating a former forge, wheelwright’s shop, and linhay, likely dating back to the 18th century or earlier. It was extensively remodelled in the 19th century, when the forge may have been added, with a late 19th century wheelwright’s shop and alterations to the 18th century linhay occurring in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The building is constructed primarily of cob and stone rubble, with some brick dressings. The house and former forge have a slate roof, hipped at the right end and gabled to the left return, featuring three stacks. The wheelwright’s shop has a slate roof, gabled at the ends, and the linhay has a tiled roof (formerly thatched) with a weatherboarded front elevation.

The building plan comprises three adjoining ranges, arranged around a pitched stone courtyard. Originally, the property may have been a farmhouse with associated buildings, subsequently remodelled as cottages and rural industrial workshops, now serving as a house with adjoining outbuildings. The north range, a single-depth house, has a forge at the right end. The house returns to the front, incorporating what was likely part of the original 18th century linhay, providing a room with a second room to the right, heated by an axial stack, which also houses a staircase and service rooms. A front lateral stack provides heating to the former forge. The linhay range, adjoining the left return of the house and separated by an 18th century brick wall, has been extended to the front, concealing its original open-fronted design. The wheelwright's shop, a single-storey structure, adjoins the forge at a right angle, completing the courtyard.

The two-storey house has a four-window front elevation. A gabled timber porch from the 19th century is centrally positioned to the left, with a two-leaf glazed door with glazing bars to the right. Windows are timber casements, dating to the 19th or 20th century, with glazing bars. The linhay has a weatherboarded front. The right return of the wheelwright’s shop, facing the road, features two large fixed windows with small panes and glazing bars.

The interior contains some 18th and 19th century joinery. The open fireplace in the axial stack has a replaced lintel and a 19th century bread oven. A pretty mid-19th century china cupboard with a glazed door is located to the left of the rear lateral stack.

The property is an attractive group at the centre of the village and represents an interesting example of a former village industrial complex, contributing to the group value alongside adjacent Barns Cottage.