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Saturday, 7 February 2009

Stalybridge Saturday: Old Forge


Last Saturday I showed you the unusual sight of two sheep and a dog posing outside Old Forge Furniture on Waterloo Road in Stalybridge.

Today I am showing you a wider view of the front of the building. The furniture company got its name from the fact that this building was originally blacksmith Arthur New's Shoeing Forge, built in 1907 although probably replacing an earlier forge. The name of Arthur New can be seen on the stones of the arch. (This can be seen better if you click on the image to see the larger version.)

At the time the forge was built the motor car was still a very rare sight and there was plenty of demand for horses to be shoed!

Unfortunately the blue banner above the arch is covering up a stone plaque bearing the words "Shoeing Forge".

See Google Aerial View of this location.

4 comments:

  1. I used to get to Stalybridge as a teen with my grandparents who lived in Prestbury.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would imagine there's a lot of call for horses to be shod these days still round and about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. According to the Stalybridge Reporter the building was sold by Tameside Council with the condition that the frontage would be unchanged. What has happened to the frontage is very unfortunate. I take chilkdren on historical walks around Stalybridge and now they can't see the most important part of the frontage!! Perhaps Tameside Councuil could be awakened to this and encouraged to take action?

    ReplyDelete
  4. A pity that the sign covers the most important aspect of the building's function. According to this week's Stalybridge Reporter the building was sold by Tameside Council in 1990 on condition that the frontage was not changed.....perhaps Tameside Council should have a word with the owners? I take children on historical walks around Stalybridge and theycan't see the building's most important feature.....same thing happened to the Fish Market some years ago, stone sign mysteriously disappeared, now the remaining three cockles have been erased.....thoughtless

    ReplyDelete

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