Iron Works of the South Wales Valleys
Iron naturally occurs as an ore a form of rock, from which the iron content has to be extracted in a furnace using extremely hot temperatures. The resulting metal is either cast which is wear resistant and useful for engineering purposes or wrought which is more flexible and was used for chains, nuts and bolts etc.
Iron has been used by humans for making tools and utensils for thousands of years. Iron making is evidenced in Wales from Prehistoric and Roman times; however, it was not until significant technological advances in the early 18th century that it could be produced on a large scale. South Wales with its rich mineral wealth was ideally placed to be exploited by the growing iron making industry and from the 1750’s a new breed of ironworks sprang up all along the Heads of the Valleys.
The ironworks of South Wales became famous, and included works which in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s were the largest in the world such as Cyfarthfa and Dowlais, the latter employing 6000 men by the 1820’s. By 1830, Britain was the largest iron producer in the world, and South Wales alone accounted for 40% of this output.
In the 1850’s, a new process was patented by Henry Bessemer which enabled steel (itself an iron alloy, but much harder wearing and more flexible) to be made on a large scale. A number of local ironworks quickly made the switch to steel production, however, Welsh iron ore had a high phosphorous content which made the resulting steel brittle.
Working in Blaenafon in 1878, Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and his cousin Percy Carlyle Gilchrist discovered a means of eliminating the phosphorous from the process, and for a short time, Wales was again a world leader. However, other countries were catching up fast, and by the end of the 19th century, iron production was in decline and coal became the main industry in South Wales. Production continued to decline throughout the 20th century, but some steel is still made in South Wales today, and is processed at a number of plants including Trostre and Llanwern.
The best preserved 18th century ironworks in Western Europe is central to the Blaenavon World Heritage Site. Guided tours, working models and restored ironworkers' cottages bring to life living and working conditions of south Wales during the Industrial Revolution.
Key Sites to Visit
Aberdulais Falls Tinplate Works
Blaenavon World Heritage Site including Blaenavon Ironworks
Cynon Valley Museum and Gadlys Ironworks
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
The Works, Archive of Coal, Iron and Steel, Ebbw Vale
