The Hednesford Furnace (Hedgfod)
This site is now overgrown.. but the layout of the furnace can be estimated by the contours of the “leat” or wheel water race depression, this can be seen from the
far end of the site, the spent water would return to stream and continue on to Fair Oak further down the valley where the bloomery and finery were situated.
Furnace process.. Preparation ; drying out the furnace with charcoal fires for several days, Charging ;Charcoal ( baked hard wood), limestone and iron ore added in layers from the top of the furnace. The charge expands initially and then contract as it drops down into the “boshes” and the temperature rising to 1000C. Superheat draught is provided by the water wheel driven bellows and the “smelt” begins. Molten iron was tapped off in stages at the base into a trough called a “sow” and then “pigs of iron ran off at 90 degrees.>> ( Pig Iron). Waste product known as slag was skimmed off throughout the cycle. Large amounts of slag are still in evidence today. ( see page 9). These cycles continued for months and eventually the “campaign” was completed and the furnace repaired ........ This furnace was in production throughout the 1600’s +... . later Abraham Darby of Coalbrookdale Shropshire developed a furnace using COKE instead of charcoal... COKE is baked coal as charcoal was baked hardwood. The coal was semi burned to give an open structure and this purified form of coal was the heat source without the major impurities. The coke fired blast furnace is in use today>>



















This medieval iron making process was well developed by the mid 15th century and could be said to be the real industrial revolution of Great Britain. High grade iron was produced in forges up and down the country for agriculture, weapon making and construction (nails and tools)..

The Finery process further worked the iron into “blooms” of iron of workable size. This was then classed as “wrought iron” iron which was less brittle and more workable. Elizabethan England progressed much at this time in the skill of the iron making. Water power for bellows and forge hammers needed a good constant supply. The Brindley valley was such a place but the impact of the charcoal burners on the oak forest was devastating.


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