18th to 19th century forge at Beaumont Otes, Chignall St. James (EHER 80770)

The building was likely a forge. A section of the wall is probably of 16th to 17th century date.

February 2020. Level 3 building survey. Building 3 appears to have been a forge. It incorporates brickwork of varying dates, with an irregular English bond plinth below and late 18th or 19th century Flemish bond above. It has a wide entrance opposite the stack and a further (and clearly non-original) doorway on its western side. A further door opening on its eastern side was largely obscured by vegetation at the time of my site visit. Its roof coverings are a mix of machine-made and hand-made plain tiles. The interior of this structure was inaccessible on the site visit but views through gaps in the doors show that it has a brick floor and a wide ‘fireplace’, favouring its identification as a forge. It has a plank-ridged roof of probable 19th century date, with later alteration. As noted above, there is stretch of wall of probable 16th or 17th century date immediately to the east of Building 3 which may represent the remains of the northern garden wall suggested by the domestic garden shown on the Walker map. <1>