Full Report for Listed Buildings
Summary Description of a Listed Buildings
Reference Number
82332
Building Number
Grade
II*
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
22/12/2003
Date of Amendment
22/12/2003
Name of Property
No. 1 Blast Furnace at former Neath Abbey Ironworks
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Neath Port Talbot
Community
Dyffryn Clydach
Town
Neath
Locality
Neath Abbey
Easting
273793
Northing
197785
Street Side
Location
On the W side of the River Clydach in Neath Abbey some 170m N of the junction of Neath Abbey Road and Monastery Road.
Description
Broad Class
Industrial
Period
History
One of two very large late C18 blast furnaces built for the Neath Abbey Ironworks. They were built in 1793, designed by Peter Price who had experience of furnaces in Great Britain and America. The Neath Abbey Ironworks were developed by two Quaker families, the Foxes of Falmouth from 1792 and Joseph Tregelles Price from 1817. Under Price the works became famous for high-quality engineering products including locomotives, stationary engines and steamships. The works closed in 1886.
Exterior
Blast furnace, very tall rubble Pennant sandstone, square-plan, tapering, built against a rock face for ease of charging. Furnace is some 16.2m high with base approximately 11.6m square. Base is overgrown but has large barrel vault on E side with semicircular arch with double ring of dressed stone voussoirs. Interior is supported by massive cast iron beams.
Interior
The rear of the furnace has a recess and a large chamber, hewn out of the rock wall, for the tuyere or blast pipes.
Reason for designation
Garded II* as one of two blast furnaces at the former Neath Abbey Ironworks which are important monuments to the development of the iron industry in Wales. They are two of the highest masonry blast furnaces ever built and part of the Scheduled Ancient Monument at Neath Abbey Ironworks (GM389).
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