Welsh Journals

B-Furnace 1: this furnace was built in the 1850's. It would have stood to a height of 65 feet and was built out of brick reinforced with iron hoops. All that remains today is the circular brick base and the furnace "bear" — the accumulated slag and waste from the last blast. C-Furnace 2: this was earlier than Furnace 1, and is comparable to those which can still be seen at Blaenavon and Neath Abbey. It would have been stone built in the same manner as the Abbey Tintern Furnace and, although much taller, represents the final development of that type of furnace. The external structure is missing but the hearth is still intact. An interesting feature is the adaptation of the hearth for use as a lime kiln after the closure of the works. D-the Furnace Bank: this is a massive retaining wall which would have supported the charging platform (E) where the raw materials for the furnaces were prepared. This area has been partially des- troyed but the remains of a surface tramway to the coke ovens and a large tunnel drain still remain. F-the Arches: the retaining wall is pierced by three large masonry and brick arches. Designed primarily as support structures for the wall, they would have given access to the blast main. This was an iron pipe contained in a tunnel beneath the furnace bank and was connected to the blowing engine. Air, under pressure, would have been forced through the blast main to supply the furnaces. A circular opening in the roof of the central arch held a pneumatic hoist which worked off the blast main; this carried materials from the charging platform to the mouth of Furnace 1. The work on both sites was undertaken by Gwent County Council through the Manpower Services Commission with grant aid from the Welsh Development Agency. Two interpretation panels have been erected on site at the Tintern Furnace, and a trail pamphlet centred on Sirhowy is obtainable from the County Planning Department. Full archaeological reports on the two sites are forthcoming. References 1. Wheeler, R. E. M. 1923. Note in Ant. Journ. 3, 374. 2. Tylecote, R. F. 1976. History of Metallurgy. 3. Bradney, J. A. 1913. A History of Monmouthshire. 4. Hereford Record Office; F. VI. AF. 3. 5. Johnson, B. C. C. 1953. "New light on the Iron Industry of the Forest of Dean", Trans. Bristol and Glos. Arch. Soc. 72, 129-143. 6. Torrington Diaries (1781-1794), 1934, ed. by C. B. Andrews. Vol. 1, 23. 7. Mushet, D. 1840. Papers on Iron and Steel. 8. Mushet, D. op. cit. 9. Jones, O. 1969. The Early Days of Sirhowy and Tredegar.