The statue of the blacksmith at work marks the spot on
Church Green where the village forge once stood. Little is known of the many blacksmiths
who worked the forge over the years except that the very last was Billy Bugg,
who was born in 1892, at which time the forge is recorded in the parish
directory of trades and professions as being run by Ridsdale Samuel. He seems
to have been preceded by John Brusby – who is known to have been the smithy in
1844 – and there are also records showing John Todd ran the forge around 1778.
A recreation of a similar forge is now lcated at the Museaum of East Riding Rural Life at Skidby Mill.