The Old Forge (EHER 36415)

The building was originally thought to be 17th century, but may have 15th century origins. It is a timber-framed and weatherboarded building, recorded as a cottage with two tenements.

The old forge is an in-line open hall house. It consisted of 2 service rooms at the east end, an undershot cross-passage. Two bay open hall and a parlour heated by a smoke bay on the west end. The western (smoke) bay is 1.2m wide and has an empty mortice in its northern post which once held a horizontal mantle beam (extending the width of the bay) for the smoke bay. Unusually there is a lobby at the rear of the cross-passage separating the stairs to the service chamber from the rest of the house, a feature not so far found elsewhere in Essex. Virtually all original internal partitions have been removed during the buildings lifetime. The chimney stack was inserted at the high end of the hall, but 46cm east of the end wall, which was then moved to enlarge the parlour. This was done as the open hall was fairly large and that the parlour may not have had an upper chamber. Dating is difficult, the studs are relatively widely spaced, the service doors have 4 centred pointed heads and as thus a mid 15th century date is likely. There was a forge at the east end of the house between this house and its neighbour. <1> <2> NRHE data transfer: The Old Forge. Timber-framed building of 17th century origin, weather-boarded (RCHM 10). Grade II. <3> Cottage, two tenements, 60 yards west of the church, with a small modern addition on the south side. <4>