Merrow Forge

A Memory of Merrow.

In former times the village blacksmith was an important member of the community. Horses were the main form of motive power for both transport and agriculture, and the skill of the blacksmith in keeping horses well shod and farm implements in good repair was vital to the local economy. The blacksmith’s workshop, along with the church, pub and local store, was an essential component of a village’s existence prior to the arrival of the internal combustion engine. Few, however, could have boasted such a magnificent structure as this forge at Merrow in Surrey, where the very entrance incorporates a giant horseshoe in its brickwork. By 1927, however, this enterprise had succumbed to the irresistible growth of the motor car and become a garage (as seen in the Frith photograph 79918x in this Merrow selection). All traces of this picturesque forge have now gone, and its former site is occupied by a modern service station.