Images from Historic Building Recording at the Old Forge, George Street, Kirkburton, April to June 2022
Archaeological Research Services Ltd, 2022. https://doi.org/10.5284/1098991. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Archaeological Research Services Ltd unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 4828
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1098991
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises images from historic building recording at the Old Forge, George Street, Kirkburton. This work was undertaken by Archaeological Research Services Ltd April to June 2022.
The historic building recording provides a descriptive, photographic and analytical record of The Old Forge at Kirkburton, and provides a comprehensive preservation by record of the building, prior to any development works taking place.
The Old Forge at Kirkburton likely has origins in the early to mid-18th century, with the first depiction of the building on the 1753 Township Map of Kirkburton. The building had originated as a cottage with an attached stables and hayloft, representing a two-storey, two-unit structure, with a curved eastern/northern wall, which matches the curvature of the adjacent School Hill. The western extent of the structure had been used as a stables at ground floor level (GF1), with a first floor hayloft/additional storage space above (FF1). The eastern portion of the space had formed the domestic cottage, originally set over two floors with a domestic fireplace on the western wall for each level.
In the early 20th century, the domestic side of the building had undergone large-scale changes for its use as a blacksmith's forge and shop. This represents a unique evolution from the domestic to the small-scale industrial. The changes saw the first floor of the domestic range removed, with a forge hearth installed. The forge is composed of red firebrick with a stone hearth, and formed of two flue openings, utilising the former ground and first floor domestic fireplaces. The changes also saw a shop window installed within the southern corner of the building, with the dentil cornice potentially dating to this period.
The building had ceased use as a forge in the 1980s, and had subsequently been partly used as a garage and store for the neighboring inn. Into the 21st century, the building had required structural ties to provide support for the southern and eastern walls, and a vehicle collision to the rear has seen a structural break in the walling, with the building in a poor state of repair.
