Summary
No Onward Chain. Representing part of the very fabric of the beautiful Surrey Hills village of Chiddingfold, it is reported that horse-shoes were being made at the Old Forge Cottage until 1914, with records of a forge being on the site for some 600 years! Grade II listed to preserve it for prosperity, it now provides extensive 5-bedroom, 4 reception room accommodation over three floors. Despite its period and the propensity of timber beams this is not a house that feels dark nor does it have particularly low ceilings/beams unlike some similar style properties - indeed, all round, we think it makes for a very practical period house for many!
Key Features
- 1617sq ft/150.2 sq m of ground floor accommodation
- Five individual reception areas including a huge sitting room
- Lounge with beautiful Inglenook fireplace & bread oven
- Kitchen/dining room with bespoke wooden units, Aga and flagstone flooring
- Three first-floor bedrooms and separate bathroom & shower-room
- Two 2nd floor bedrooms
- Utility room, downstairs cloakroom & separate cloakroom
- Delightful rear garden with raised timber deck to the rear
Full Description
Old Forge Cottage is included on the National Heritage List as a Grade 2 listed building. In its recent (last 100 years or so it has seen life as an overflow for The Crown - the long room was used as a 'restaurant' according to a prior owner who still lives in the village). It was an antiques shop circa 1955 (see photo) where the flower beds at the front of the house were first seen bounded by the wrought iron railings which are still in place today. It was also a 'cafe' providing teas and coffees with an unusual combination of cakes and cardigans(!) circa 1934, photo also online, and an advert in the Parish magazine at the time, proclaimed the building to be over 600 years old - which would make it one of the oldest residential houses in the area.
It is reported that horse shoes were still being forged at the Old Forge Cottage up until 1914 with definite records of a forge being on site for 600 years. There is evidence of a well in the back garden which probably provided the forge with the water it needed on site. The forge served the community not least visitors (who were likely to be pilgrims travelling between Salisbury and Canterbury) who would rest at The Crown built by Cistercian monks in the 13th century. There is a horseshoe by the front door which may well have been one of the last to be forged at the Old Forge Cottage.
The Old Forge Cottage enjoys so many of the charming feature charcteristics that keen fans of this style of property are so often searching for ie a glorious Inglenook fireplace with bread oven, beamed walls & ceilings, exposed timber floor-boards including some that are quite likely to have come from ships, and a beautiful oak-panelled study. Furthermore we think the accommodation easily lends itself to the creation of an annexe for an elderly relative,
Floor Plan
Location
Chiddingfold village is one of Surrey’s archetypal villages with a cricket green, a village green and pond, three inns, two “corner shops”, post office, café, chemist, butcher’s shop, nursery and primary schools and a medical centre. The surrounding area has some wonderful countryside ideal for walking and riding and yet there is a mainline railway station just over 2 miles from the village with a journey time to Waterloo of around 55 minutes. Milford village (approx 5 miles away) has an excellent range of local shops including the renowned Secretts Farm Shop, chemist, fresh fish shop and Tesco Express. The historic market town of Godalming, a further 2 miles away, offers a selection of individual shops, restaurants, wine bars as well as superstores and Guildford, 4 miles further on, has a multitude of shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants. There is an excellent selection of schools in the area that cater for most ages and denominations, both in the private and public sectors. There is a golf course in the village as well as 2 further courses in Milford. The A3 linking the M25 and London’s airports is approx 6 miles away while the South Coast beaches are around 23 miles away.
