Number 2 (The Forge) Including Gate Piers And Railings

Number 2, known as The Forge, is one of two adjoining cottages located in Chedworth Village. It dates from the mid to late 17th century and was extended in the 18th century, with restoration taking place in the early 20th century, as indicated by a stone inscription plaque on the southeast-facing gable, dated and initialled 'A.W.B./1923'. The building is constructed of random roughly squared limestone with dressed stone quoins, which was formerly painted cream. The original ashlar stacks have been replaced with brick, and it has a stone slate roof.

The 17th-century section of the cottage runs parallel to the road and is 1.5 storeys high, while the later extension at the rear right is 2 storeys with an attic. The entrance front of the 17th-century range features two 3-light double-chamfered stone-mullioned casements on the ground floor, with a continuous drip mould over the right-hand window. There is also a 2-light flat-chamfered stone-mullioned casement with a gablet at the upper right. A 20th-century plank door with fillets is set within a rebuilt surround, likely not in its original position, situated between the two ground floor windows. Both gable ends have two and 3-light stone-mullioned casements, and the first floor includes a single-light wooden casement and a 3-light half-dormer.

At the rear, there is an early 18th-century two-panel door with strap hinges featuring fleur de lys terminals, set within an early to mid-19th-century wrought iron porch that has a curved and hipped canopy. The 18th-century extension is illuminated by single-light, 2, 3, and 4-light flat-chamfered stone-mullioned casements, some of which have stopped hoods, and there is a single 3-light roof dormer from the late 19th to early 20th century. The casements throughout both ranges retain early fastenings.

In front of the 17th-century range, there is a curving cast iron railing with fleur de lys finials atop a low ashlar wall, which runs parallel to the roadside and is now largely obscured by a hedge. This railing may have been crafted at the nearby smithy. An incomplete interior inspection did not reveal any features of special interest.