Pall House, Midlem

A pair of mid-18th century buildings situated on the village green at Midlem.

The smithy is a small, single-storey, three-bay whitewashed rubble building with a gable and a chimney at the west end. It has two two-pane fixed windows on either side of a timber half-door on the front elevation, and a single four-pane window at the rear. The roof is of Scotch slate and incorporates four skylights glazed with painted glass panels. The interior features a rubble-built double hearth with one round bellows remaining, plus wooden storage racks, benches, a hand shear, and a drill. A lean-to wooden store is attached to the west side. A cast-iron wheel-tyring ring is set into the ground in front of the entrance door.

Adjacent to the smithy, the Pall House was constructed in 1769 by the Midlem Pall Association. It is a small, rectangular, whitewashed rubble building with a slate roof, and includes a modern boarded double door.

The smithy was already established by 1769, when the Pall House was built. The Pall House was originally intended to house a two-wheeled, hand-propelled hearse, which was no longer used for that purpose in the 19th century. This vehicle was required due to the churchyard of Midlem being located in Bowden, several miles away. The buildings are designated at Grade B due to the unique nature of the Pall House and the completeness and early date of the smithy.