Crapnell’s Forge
from Grundisburgh
Built: c.1750
For nearly two hundred years this smithy was a bustling and vibrant place, hot from the glowing furnace and filled with the din of metal being hammered.
Its last owner, Frederick Joseph Crapnell, took on the premises in 1913. Both his father and grandfather had been blacksmiths. It was from his father that Frederick learnt the trade. In 1968 he retired at the age of 86. Four years later the timber built smithy and travis (where the horses were shod) was saved from demolition and re-erected here.
The Blacksmith played an essential role in the agricultural world. He shod horses and made and repaired the tools and machinery that were used on the farms, such as plough shares and harrow tines. He was also important to other craftsmen such as wheelwrights, making the metal tyres to fit the wooden wheels. The blacksmith would also make goods for domestic use such as cooking pots.