Heritage At Risk 2013: Condition: poor, Priority: slow decay, no solution agreed. Extensive decay and erosion to the external surface of the sandstone walls. Part of the south parapet has been dismantled and there is evidence of pronounced damp sataining in the vicinity of rainwater pipes. Heritage At Risk 2015: Condition: Poor Priority C- Slow decay, no solution agreed.

The smithy or forge was the workplace of a blacksmith or ironsmith, where iron was worked into useful objects such as weapons, armour in the Middle Ages and locks, hinges, spades and tools, iron horseshoes (machine-made horseshoes were introduced from USA in 1870s), grilles, gates, railings, metal parts for locomotives, coaches, waggons and carts. The blacksmith's raw material was wrought iron in bar form. The smithy comprised a hearth, bellows, anvil and bosh (quenching trough). A small forge had hand-operated bellows, a large industrial forge water-powered bellows, power hammer and shears (William Jones, 1996, Dictionary of Industrial Archaeology).