By Paul Schofield, Lindfield History Project Group
John Sharman outside the forge
The building at 2 Denmans Lane, known to many as the Old Forge, is today the home of Happy Feet Boutique children’s shoe shop. It was built in 1854 and is listed by Historic England as a Grade 2 building because of its architectural interest. The building is a classic example of a mid-Victorian village forge, hence its listing. It also reflects changes in the commercial life of Lindfield as it has been used by at least 11 trades in its 164 year old history. For most of that time it was used as a blacksmith forge.
The Batchelor family were the first to operate a blacksmith’s business from the building. Edward Batchelor, Senior, was originally from Bolney, where he was baptised in 1783. He was the head of the family and had previously lived and worked in the 1830s at the site of the present day Red Lion. He later moved and lived at a small smithy at the corner of the High Street and Denmans Lane, prior to the building where Bliss is today, before the business was relocated in 1854 to the newly built forge at 2 Denmans Lane. Sadly Edward Batchelor Snr died that year and probably did not live to see his new forge in operation. His second wife, Lucy Batchelor, with whom he had five sons, continued the business with support from Edward’s son from his first marriage, also called Edward. Edward Batchelor Snr with his first wife, Ann Stephens, had six children, three boys and three girls. She died in 1822, possibly in childbirth, aged 35 and is buried in Lindfield churchyard.
John Sharman outside the forge Maintaining the family tradition, all five sons from his second marriage also became blacksmiths working in Lindfield, Cuckfield and Chailey, with William the eldest son joining the family business. So for 27 years the forge was very much the home of the Batchelor family business. During this period Denmans Lane was known as Batchelors Lane, this name remained in use for many decades.
After Edward Batchelor’s death in 1881, the last Batchelor to work the forge, it was acquired by John Trevatt. Upon his death in 1890, the business was taken on by his wife Mary Trevatt, who is described in business directories of the time as a ‘supervisor of a blacksmith business’. This must have been quite unusual at that time. She was helped by Daniel Dovey, employed six years earlier by her husband, who continued working at the forge until 1924 and was a well known character in the village.
In 1892, Charles W. Wood took over the forge and whilst continuing as a blacksmith wheelwright and farrier, he expanded the business and occupied the shop (in the terrace that contains the Stand Up Inn) at the corner of Denmans Lane as his cycle dealership. He also sold and repaired mowing machinery, garden tools and stoves; and later advertised himself as a motor agent. Charles Wood served as a Cuckfield Rural District councillor and became quite an entrepreneur. He also had a shop on the Broadway in Haywards Heath selling motor cycles and cars. In 1905 he was running a Motor Omnibus service around Haywards Heath, Lindfield and Cuckfield as well as a service to connect the railway station to Sussex Road. His business empire further expanded in 1908 with the acquisition of another cycle business in Hurstpierpoint. Charles Wood also entered the world of property development around 1905 and with a partner built West View, although only 17 of the planned 30 houses were built.
It would seem that by 1911, Charles Wood had overstretched himself financially and following a meeting with creditors his assets were assigned or sold. The Lindfield business was sold in 1912 to his half- brother, Thomas Wood, who had previously been the manager of the Lindfield site, and continued to operate from the premises as a shoeing, general smith and cycle dealer until at least 1918. Charles Wood’s Haywards Heath and Hurstpierpoint businesses were sold to J T Hampton who had been an employee for 14 years.
By 1922 the forge was in the hands of John Sharman, who started there as an apprentice in around 1892 and remained for 60 years. For part of that time his business partner was George Fox. In 1922 they placed an advert in the Mid Sussex Times listing a range of services, giving the address as Batchelor’s Lane. As the number of horses requiring shoeing declined there was still much need for a blacksmith. John Sharman was responsible for numerous examples of wrought iron work which still exist today in Lindfield, such as the gates at a number
of properties including Old Place and at Porters on the High Street. He also fashioned the Lindfield village sign that stands on the corner of the Common, by the High Street, Backwoods Lane and Blackhill junction. This commemorates King George V’s and Queen Mary’s Silver Jubilee. It bears a shield of six Martlets for Sussex and a lime tree for Lindfield. It was unveiled with much ceremony by Blanche Cumberlege of Walstead Place on 6th May 1935; a day of great celebration in the village. Other examples of iron work probably fashioned by John Sharman include the sign stands for the Tiger, Bent Arms, Red Lion and a smaller one for Humphrey’s Bakery. Also John Sharman for many years served as Captain of the Lindfield Fire Brigade operated by the Parish Council from the fire station in Lewes Road.
In 1900, the blacksmiths from the forge revived the old custom of firing the anvil in celebration following the relief of Ladysmith and Mafeking in the Second Boer War. It has since been fired as part of all Royal Coronation and Bill Bartley shoeing a horse at the forge Jubilee celebrations in the village. Previously, the anvil had been fired on St Clements Day to frighten off evil spirits. Today the anvil is fired on Village Day. It involves the anvil being put upside down on the ground and the hole at the bottom being filled with gun powder. A plug is added and when the powder is lit there is a large bang!
John Sharman died in 1954 and on his retirement a couple of years earlier, the forge was taken over by George Brown, his one-time apprentice, and afterwards to Bill Bartley. George Brown continued the tradition of firing the anvil. After almost 120 years the smithy at the forge ceased trading in about 1970.
The premises’ connection with metal working continued in 1978 when it was used by Lindfield Engineering Ltd, who advertised themselves as precision engineers. It is believed they traded from the old forge until 1984, by this time the forge was very dilapidated. The adjacent wheelwright’s shop was demolished but thankfully the old forge was saved and renovated, following a campaign by the Lindfield Preservation Society.
It was next used as a TV repair workshop by Bob Lambert, as an extension of his shop on the High Street. Between 1987 and 1991, it was a children’s clothes shop called Scallywags run by Vivienne Clark. Over the next 12 years there were five different traders operated from the Old Forge at 2 Denmans Lane. Firstly a dress, hat and bridal hire shop called Beauty Salon, run by Valerie Holt. Then Green, Elliot and Crowe, opened their opticians practice before moving onto the High Street, now Lindfield Eyecare. A picture framing business followed, called Leave it to Jeeves run by Terry Jeeve, and next a florist, the Conservatory, again prior to their move to the High Street. The last trader to operate from this location prior to the current shoe shop was Lindfield Gifts and Interiors, a gift shop, which opened in 2003.
Happy Feet opened at the Old Forge in 2007 and is busy providing shoes for the children of Lindfield and beyond.
The original blacksmiths who worked at the forge could not have imagined that the building would still be standing 164 years later and that it has seen such a varied usage during that period. From shoeing horses to shoes for children!