Blaenavon Ironworks

Blaenavon Ironworks was founded by three businessmen from the Midlands, Thomas Hill, Benjamin Pratt and Thomas Hopkins. Opened in 1788 at a cost of £40,000 the Blaenavon Ironworks was built using the latest industrial technology with three blast furnaces operated by steam power. Within ten years the ironworks was the second largest in Wales, employing 350 people and producing 5,400 tons of iron a year. In 1810 another two furnaces were added to meet the demand. Blaenavon ironworks soon became one of the largest ironworks in the world.

After its height in the early and mid 19th century, the ironworks fell into decline with the coming of large scale steel production. Today the Blaenavon site represents one of the most important monuments to have survived from the early part of the industrial revolution. Blaenavon Ironworks is the best preserved blast furnace complex of its period and type in the world and therefore is the main focus of Blaenavon World Heritage Site. Now managed by Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, the site is being carefully restored and gives an excellent insight into 18th and 19th century iron making in Britain.

Through exhibitions and re-constructions visitors to the site can trace the process of iron production and learn about the history and significance of the ironworks. The nearby workman’s cottages of Stack Square were built between 1789 and 1792 for the workers and their families. These small dwellings were designed to house families of up to eight people. Visitors can also gain insight into the social history of Blaenavon Ironworks by learning about the lives of the people who worked and lived there.

In 2007, the Ironworks was home to the BBC Wales series Coalhouse. Three families were transported in time to life in 1927 Blaenavon