Dyfi Mill, Furnace, Ceredigion, Wales
Posted by: 
Ddraig Ddu
N 52° 32.299 W 003° 56.425
30U E 436218 N 5821329
The Dyfi Furnace Mill and water wheel were built around 1755. The Dyfi Furnace is probably the best-preserved example of an 18th century charcoal burning blast furnace in the UK. It is considered as one of rural Wales's hidden industrial gems.
Waymark Code: WMACQH
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/27/2010
Views: 6
The site for Dyfi Furnace was chosen downstream of the waterfall on the River Einion to take advantage of the water power from the river and charcoal produced from the local woodlands, with the iron ore being shipped in from Cumbria via the Afon Dyfi.
The furnace built around 1755 was only in use for about fifty years. It was abandoned by 1810. The furnace is currently being renovated under an ongoing programme of extensive conservation works which are due to complete later in 2010 by Cadw.
The furnace was built by Ralph Vernon and the brothers Edward Bridge and William Bridge. Vernon retired between 1765 and 1770, and the Bridges (who also owned Conwy Furnace) became bankrupt in 1773.
The furnace probably passed to Kendall & Co. (probably Jonathan Kendall and his brother Henry), West Midlands Ironmasters with extensive interests scattered across Staffordshire, Cheshire, The Lake District and Scotland. After the original lease expired in 1796, the furnace was probably owned by Bell and Gaskell, including Thomas Bell, who had managed it for the Kendalls, whose main activity by then was running the Beaufort Ironworks in Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, in the South Wales Valleys.
The water wheel, shown in some of the photographs, provided power to the bellows of the blast furnace and, later in its history, powered a sawmill.
To log this as a find please take a shot of yourself with park of the site in shot (preferably the water wheel), logs without pictures may be removed.