Building record FRT 061 - Forge Cottage, Freston Hill

Forge Cottage is a timber-framed building of the mid-17th century that was re-faced and partly rebuilt in red brick during the late-19th century. The structure was probably built as a pair of tenements sharing a central chimney, each with a hall on the ground floor and a chamber above, and an abuttal of 1724 suggests that one of the two was occupied by a blacksmith. The original walls were timber-framed, but the timbers were re-used from one or more 15th century buildings and were intended to be concealed by render from the outset (both inside and out), rather than exposed to view. The exception was the ceiling of the northern, left-hand tenement, which was recycled in its entirety and not concealed by render. The late-19th century saw the unification of the tenements into a single cottage and the complete replacement of the front elevation and southern gable in brick, along with the rebuilding of the forge. The timbers of the rear elevation were partly replaced and partly hidden behind a brick skin, while the two 17th century fireplaces were re-faced in brick. The 19th century fire surrounds were removed from the ground storey in the mid-20th century (S1).