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In 1822 the Lilleshall
Company built the Lodge Furnaces to smelt iron from the local coal and
iron ore. The furnaces remained in blast until 1888, when despite the
quality of the iron, they were closed down for economic reasons. |
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The furnaces today. The ramps have
survived, and also the bases to the furnaces. The large ramp to the right
is hollow, and was once a workshop. The limestone, iron ore and coke was
fed into the top of the furnaces from the top of the ramps, Below
you see the bases of the furnaces, lined with heat resistant blocks cut
from glass slag. |
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| They originally stood the same height as
the ramps, and molten pig iron was tapped from their bases, below today's
ground level. The
furnaces were blown by a pair of beam
engines with six boilers, to the north of the furnaces. Below you
can see the basement of the ironworks offices, three underground chambers
used for stabling, and originally built to store gunpowder for the mines |
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| The iron produced by the
furnaces was taken away by canal, to join a branch of the Donnington Wood
tub boat canal. Above on the left is the header pool for the canal system,
and on the right the terminal basin for loading and unloading. |
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And finally, proof (if it were needed) of
the presence of iron ore: the tell tale ochre water in a nearby
stream. |
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