Former late 19th century smithy turned garage, Western Lane, Silver End (EHER 80295)

Demolished in 2022. A single-storey, late 19th century, brick built garage and former smithy. It was probably built in 1872 as part of the property of the Western Arms PH. It was rebuilt in the 1930’s as a garage workshop and then used in the late 20th century as a store to dump equipment from the pub.

May 2022. Heritage assessment. A single-storey, late 19th century, brick built garage and former smithy. It has early to mid 20th century triple roman tiles on a fully hipped roof made from machined softwood timbers. The Western elevation presents two mid 20th century pairs of garage doors and a single pedestrian door that opens into a brick cell. The brickwork was erected between 1838 and 1876 and replaced a building shown on the 1838 Tithe Map for Rivenhall. A date brick in the building reads: E.B.1872 and it was probably built as part of the property of the Western Arms PH. The North Room contained the forge and the associated equipment and anvils, and the South Room was set up as horse standings for two horses with tethering rings in the walls and sockets for retaining bars to stop the horses backing out. As there are no brick emplacements for a forge it is likely the actual fireplace was a free standing steel forge with hood and flue. There would have also been a coal bunker and a bellows. In the 1930’s the building was reroofed, given garage doors and a cubicle built into the North Room. It may have been a WC or a secure store for chemicals but there is no direct evidence for either. The doors are of 1930’s design and colour schemes and the Crittall window is a later design produced during and after WW2. In the late 20th century and 21st century the building was allowed to fall apart and was used to dump old pub fittings such as refrigerators, cabinets, air conditioning units, defunct fire extinguishers and furniture. The building is set to be demolished. <1>