Pennyfine Road, Forge

Late 18th century/early 19th century listed forge built in sandstone rubble with some internal features surviving, notably a central wooden plank panel in a stone block floor and a forge and anvil {2}. Sandstone rubble with irregular quoins. Welsh slte roof with flat stone gable coping. One low storey, 3 bays. Dutch door with flat stone lintel flanked by horizontal sliding sash windows with similar lintels and projecting stone sills. Roof has one end brick chimney with cornice at right, truncated rendered chimney at left {3}. The earliest blacksmith on record at Loosing Hill was Luke Brown in 1797. He died in 1808 aged 81. Edward Stoker took over as blacksmith. His son Edward continued to 1875. His son Martin went to work as a blacksmith at Byermoor Pit. Joseph Wallace (1844-1913) took over the smithy in 1875. He had been working as a smith at Andrews House Pit. He moved from Granby Terrace into Lottie's cottage (the smith's cottage). In 1885 a new brick cottage was built adjoining the smithy. The Wallace family brought up 11 children there. In the close behind the smithy Joseph's wife Isabella kept a cow, pig and some hens. Isabella ran the smithy for a few years after Joseph died. Her edest son John (born 1876) then took over. He had worked at Byermoor Pit as a farrier and pick sharpener. He moved with his 8 children to Forge Cottage in 1923. George Wallace took on the smithy after his father. During the 1930s most of the work was shoeing Clydesdale horses. Other work included repairing ploughs, harrows and scythes, making iron tyre rims for cartwheels, ironwork for the domestic fireside, wrought iron gates, hinges, bar fasteners for cattle wagons and scrufflers for weeding. A platform was set in the ground outside the forge for fitting iron hoops onto cartwheels. The forge cottage was extended in 1992.