So that we may keep all of our valued Volunteers and treasured visitors to the Cottage and Forge safe during the COVID-19 outbreak, it has been decided that from today, Saturday, 21st March 2020, the Blacksmith’s Cottage and Forge Book Barn will be closed until further notice.  The next open day for the Cottage was set to be Sunday, 26th April 2020 as part of the National Trust Heritage Festival.  Sadly, this open day will not take place....

Friday, 9th to Sunday, 11th August 2019. Due to the forecast extreme weather conditions for this weekend, our Committee has decided to close the Forge Bookbarn on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Also, our proposed “At Home in the Cottage” open day on Sunday, 11th August 2019 will need to be cancelled. We apologise for this inconvenience if you had planned to visit our site this weekend;  we look forward to welcoming you later, in much...

THE ANSONIA KITCHEN CLOCK. In pride of place on the kitchen mantelpiece is the Ansonia kitchen clock, now happily marking each hour and half hour with the appropriate number of gongs.  The clock dates from the early twentieth century and was made by the Ansonia Clock Co., New York.  This clock is the “Kirkwood’ model which was being sold in 1914.   In 1844, Anson Phelps formed the Ansonia Brass Co. in Connecticut to supply clocks.  The Ansonia...