The byways of England are full of quaint buildings that serve as a reminder of the way life was before progress hurried us along at such an alarming rate and the old village forge at Manthorpe, three miles south west of Bourne, conjures up such a tranquil scene of times past.
This is little more than a hamlet and there was insufficient business in the locality to support a full time blacksmith and so an itinerant farrier would arrive every few weeks to shoe the horses and this was the accommodation provided for him by the parish. The tiny red brick building with its pantiled roof survived in its original use until the last century and in 1987 it was bought by another craftsman who has established his business there, manufacturing cast aluminium house signs that are sold around the world, and examples of his work can be seen on the outside of the smithy that is known today as the Manthorpe Forge.
See also The Manthorpe Forge web site
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