The Old Smithy With Front Boundary Railings

The Old Smithy with front boundary railings is a house located on High Street in Queen Camel, dating from the early 19th century, although it has an earlier core. The building is constructed from local lias stone that is cut and squared, topped with a double Roman clay tiled roof supported by abutments and featuring brick chimney stacks. It stands two storeys high and has four bays, with the first bay being wider as it was originally the smithy. The windows are casement style with three lights and rectangular leaded panes, with the lower windows being larger and of a later design, all set under steel boot lintels. The first bay has a pair of timber garage doors with toplights, while the third bay features a four-panel 19th-century door beneath a rectangular fanlight, all framed by a near-ashlar lias stone surround that includes plain pilasters, impost blocks, and a keystoned voussoired flat arch topped with a quasi open pediment. Although the interior has not been seen, a report mentions a wide fireplace with a small curing chamber and a spiral stone staircase in the south gable. In front of the house, there are simple hooped railings with a matching gate opposite the door, which has spear point decoration on the middle rail and returns to the house, contributing to the overall setting.