Dear Paul
I have no excavations, but we are currently working on the field
evidence for three water-powered sites in Glamorgan. The sites of
the three are all different - but have the same range as seen in the
early blast furnaces.
In case 1 a small, steep, tributary stream appears to have fed a
storage pond just above the main river floodplain. This site was
converted into a Corn Mill, and at some stage a long leat (>1km)
was added to supplement the pond from the main river. Whether
that arrangement was in use during the period of operation of the
bloomery I do not know. The bloomery itself was probably
destroyed by the mill - but small slag dumps remain.
In case 2 a small stream in a large open valley was dammed to
provide what seems to be a large storage pond. Large slag dumps
remain, both upstream and downstream of the dam. Those
upstream seem to have provided lateral banks to help constrain the
pond. The bloomery site here is probably below a house and
garden, so I don't yet know how much still exists.
In case 3 a moderately long leat carried water along a major river
floodplain to a small storage pond. I don't yet know how much has
survived here. I think the dumps were quarried and the pasture has
been "improved". We have a big geophysical survey planned for
this site in March.
A supply equivalent to case 1 seems to have been used quite
widely locally (and elsewhere) for early blast furnaces too. Our
earliest furnace appears to have a supply similar to case 3 (as
does another blast furnace and a forge). Case 2 seems to be rather
unusual - but may be related to the small size of the misfit steam
for its valley.
There is no evidence (yet) what the water power was being used
for. Hopefully the geophysics may make that a little clearer...
Hope this helps
Tim
> I am particularly keen to discuss: siting of instalations, methods
> of construction, materials used in construction, and types of
> finds recovered from furnace sites. With all best wishes Paul
> Vigor.
Dr Tim Young
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.geoarch.demon.co.uk/
Phone: 02920 747480
Fax: 08700 547366
Mobile: 0802 413704
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