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The Forge at Forgeside Blaenavon Ironworks was originally built by Hill, Hopkins and Pratt in 1788 on land leased from the Marquis of Abergavenny. Many of the coal and ironstone pits and levels around Blaenavon were opened by them on their leasehold land and on freehold land they had acquired during their tenure. The works were carried on by descendants of Thomas Hill after the deaths of the original partners until the company was sold to Blaenavon Iron & Coal Company in 1836. When the new company took over, it soon became aware that it needed to expand its forging facilities. They were a limiting factor on its ability to expand and to meet the demand of its customers. One of the company's first decisions was to build a new integrated ironworks at their freehold site at Forgeside. This was to contain new furnaces and a new forge to replace their existing forge at Garnddyrys. As early as 15 September 1837, at what was only the second Annual General Meeting of the new company, the chairman William Unwin Sims stated that, 'the directors will turn their attention to the erection of new furnaces and of a forge and mill for the manufacturing of common merchant bars and railroad iron'.5 He also reported that a survey and report had been made by a Mr Bevan, a civil engineer of Swansea,6 who was a mineral engineer of 'eminence', and a mine agent who had been engaged at Blaenavon for the last 40 years. The mine agent was Thomas Deakin.7 Deakin was the most experienced mineral agent employed by the company and was often used by them when determining where to site new pits. Between them, Deakin and the mineral engineer convinced the company that future supplies of minerals should be got from the company's freehold. They estimated that the minerals under the freehold would provide an ample supply for four furnaces for around 30 years at their then current rate of consumption. Even though the productive capacity of furnaces was to increase dramatically over the following thirty years, the report's estimate of the availability of coal and iron-ore was to prove an extremely conservative assessment. The two engineers also carried out a survey of the surface transport systems used by the company during which they surveyed the levels of the tramroads leading to the furnaces. Their survey showed over 35 miles of surface tramroads connecting the coal, iron and limestone extraction with the manufacturing plant. As a result, the company decided that improvements could be made to reduce the surface haulage. They also decided that pits should be sunk to cut off the long distances that minerals had to be transported underground before they could be brought to the surface from their existing network of levels and older pits. They could not do this immediately. The company had only just taken possession of the works and they needed to be sure of the true legal status of all their property. Many of the old boundaries and landmarks had been destroyed or covered by pit waste or iron slag. They were unsure of where their leasehold lands ended and where their freehold lands began so they deferred their decision until the spring of