The Old Smithy is a Grade II listed building in the Buckinghamshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 22 January 1986. Forge.

The Old Smithy

WRENN ID
gaunt-brick-russet
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Buckinghamshire
Constituency
Wycombe MP: Emma Reynolds (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
22 January 1986
Type
Forge
Address
The Old Smithy, the Common, Downley
OS grid reference
SU 847 956
Coordinates
51.65322, -0.77606
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Old Smithy is a forge built in the late 18th century to early 19th century. It is constructed mainly of brick, using header bricks, with the right wall rebuilt in the 20th century. The building has a steeply hipped roof covered with old tiles, featuring a later added metal flue. It is a small, rectangular structure with one storey. The front left side has 20th-century double board doors, while the centre has a three-light wooden window. The rear of the building includes a central board door and a four-light window. This building is included for its group value.

Local climate

The Old Smithy sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 79% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 85% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 39 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 76% of listed buildings. Of these, 18 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

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