Walt <walt.king@phonecoop.coop> wrote: Here, it says that the last furnace was dismantled in 1938: "However, by 1914, Blaenavon was in decline. Steelworks moved nearer to the sea for obvious reasons and in 1938 the last Blaenavon furnace was dismantled." Meanwhile, Wikipedia maintains its customary standards: .... but since the ironworks closed in 1900 and the coal mine in 1980, the population has declined, and now consists mostly of older citizens. There is so much junk on the internet and the rubbish gets copied and propagated endlessly so it's important to use reliable sources. Gwent RO and BBC should be good. It seems that the last furnace was dismantled the year you were born............. =================== Dear Walt, The sources you've quoted are describing two different ironworks sites. The Forge Side site ceased production in 1938, while the original North Street site closed in the early 1900s. The Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World-Heritage website states: ---------------- The main focus of the area is Blaenavon Ironworks, a site in state care, where there are remains of a works with six blast furnaces in which, from 1789 until 1902, ore was smelted to produce pig iron. ---------------- [http://www.world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk/] The Swansea Local History website's South Wales Coal Mining Trail includes an article on Blaenavon Ironworks that states: ---------------- The decline in the steel industry at Blaenavon marked the end of iron-making on the old site and the last furnace was blown out in 1904. ---------------- [http://www.page-net.com/swansea.localhistory/llansamlet/pages/miningtrail.html] On page 82 of "Blaenavon Through the Years" Volume 2, Malcom Thomas and John Lewis clarify the situation for us. I quote: ---------------- In the late 1830s, three modern blast furnaces were constructed on the new site at Forge Side. The new location was chosen due to there being ample room for expansion and for the siting of new machinery. Its position would also be accessible to the increasing network of railways in South Wales. The move heralded the closure of the North Street site, which ceased production by the end of the 19th century. ---------------- Note that the World Heritage Site is the North Street works. ["Blaenavon Through the Years - in photographs" by Malcom Thomas and John Lewis, Volume 2, published 1988 by Old Bakehouse Publications, Abertillery; ISBN 0-9512181-3-1] To summarise - the original North Street works, which is the famous World Heritage Site, ceased production soon after 1900. Production then switched entirely to the Forge Side site whose last furnace was taken out of commission in 1938. Kind regards, John -------------------- John Ball, Ystalyfera, near Swansea, Wales, UK E-mail: john@jlb2005.plus.com John's Homepage: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/ Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/ Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/ GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/ Joint Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) RootsWeb mailing lists

You get [ or now used to get, as far as most of South Wales except Margam is concerned] quite a glow if coke ovens are being emptied at night, so you might not be talking about a blast furnace. I recall looking down into the Garw valley in Glamorgan from the slopes of Mynydd Caerau or Mynydd Werfa at dusk and seeing red-hot coke being pushed out of the ovens, somewhere near Blaengarw I expect. That would have been early 1960s. If there weren't any coke ovens in the Garw valley maybe it was Nantymoel ..... Jeff

On 25 Mar 2007, at 23:03, Jeff Coleman wrote: > You get [ or now used to get, as far as most of South Wales except > Margam is > concerned] quite a glow if coke ovens are being emptied at night, > so you > might not be talking about a blast furnace. > > I recall looking down into the Garw valley in Glamorgan from the > slopes of > Mynydd Caerau or Mynydd Werfa at dusk and seeing red-hot coke being > pushed > out of the ovens, somewhere near Blaengarw I expect. That would > have been > early 1960s. If there weren't any coke ovens in the Garw valley > maybe it was > Nantymoel ..... or even any old local gas works Hugh W -- a wonderful artist in Denmark http://www.ingerlisekristoffersen.dk/ Beta blogger http://snaps4.blogspot.com/ photographs and walks old blogger GENEALOGE http://hughw36.blogspot.com/ MAIN BLOG

Thanks Jeff Regards Dawn dawn.cumbley@virgin.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Coleman" <jeff.coleman@ntlworld.com> To: <monmouthshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2007 11:03 PM Subject: Re: [MON] Blaenavon > You get [ or now used to get, as far as most of South Wales except Margam > is > concerned] quite a glow if coke ovens are being emptied at night, so you > might not be talking about a blast furnace. > > I recall looking down into the Garw valley in Glamorgan from the slopes of > Mynydd Caerau or Mynydd Werfa at dusk and seeing red-hot coke being pushed > out of the ovens, somewhere near Blaengarw I expect. That would have been > early 1960s. If there weren't any coke ovens in the Garw valley maybe it > was > Nantymoel ..... > > Jeff > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MONMOUTHSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.18/734 - Release Date: > 26/03/2007 14:31 > >

Regards Dawn dawn.cumbley@virgin.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Ball" <john@jlb2005.plus.com> To: <monmouthshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2007 9:51 PM Subject: Re: [MON] Blaenavon > Walt <walt.king@phonecoop.coop> wrote: > Here, it says that the last furnace was dismantled in 1938: > "However, by 1914, Blaenavon was in decline. Steelworks moved nearer to > the > sea for obvious reasons and in 1938 the last Blaenavon furnace was > dismantled." > Meanwhile, Wikipedia maintains its customary standards: > .... but since the ironworks closed in 1900 and the coal mine in 1980, the > population has declined, and now consists mostly of older citizens. > There is so much junk on the internet and the rubbish gets copied and > propagated endlessly so it's important to use reliable sources. Gwent RO > and > BBC should be good. It seems that the last furnace was dismantled the year > you were born............. > =================== > > Dear Walt, > > The sources you've quoted are describing two different ironworks sites. > The > Forge Side site ceased production in 1938, while the original North Street > site closed in the early 1900s. > > The Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World-Heritage website states: > ---------------- > The main focus of the area is Blaenavon Ironworks, a site in state care, > where there are remains of a works with six blast furnaces in which, from > 1789 until 1902, ore was smelted to produce pig iron. > ---------------- > [http://www.world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk/] > > > The Swansea Local History website's South Wales Coal Mining Trail includes > an article on Blaenavon Ironworks that states: > ---------------- > The decline in the steel industry at Blaenavon marked the end of > iron-making > on the old site and the last furnace was blown out in 1904. > ---------------- > [http://www.page-net.com/swansea.localhistory/llansamlet/pages/miningtrail.html] > > > On page 82 of "Blaenavon Through the Years" Volume 2, Malcom Thomas and > John > Lewis clarify the situation for us. I quote: > ---------------- > In the late 1830s, three modern blast furnaces were constructed on the new > site at Forge Side. The new location was chosen due to there being ample > room for expansion and for the siting of new machinery. Its position would > also be accessible to the increasing network of railways in South Wales. > The move heralded the closure of the North Street site, which ceased > production by the end of the 19th century. > ---------------- > Note that the World Heritage Site is the North Street works. > ["Blaenavon Through the Years - in photographs" by Malcom Thomas and John > Lewis, Volume 2, published 1988 by Old Bakehouse Publications, > Abertillery; > ISBN 0-9512181-3-1] > > > To summarise - the original North Street works, which is the famous World > Heritage Site, ceased production soon after 1900. Production then switched > entirely to the Forge Side site whose last furnace was taken out of > commission in 1938. > > Kind regards, > > John > -------------------- > John Ball, Ystalyfera, near Swansea, Wales, UK > E-mail: john@jlb2005.plus.com > John's Homepage: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/ > Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/ > Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/ > > GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/ > Joint Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) RootsWeb mailing lists > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MONMOUTHSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.18/734 - Release Date: > 26/03/2007 14:31 > >

Thanks again John Regards Dawn dawn.cumbley@virgin.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Ball" <john@jlb2005.plus.com> To: <monmouthshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2007 9:51 PM Subject: Re: [MON] Blaenavon > Walt <walt.king@phonecoop.coop> wrote: > Here, it says that the last furnace was dismantled in 1938: > "However, by 1914, Blaenavon was in decline. Steelworks moved nearer to > the > sea for obvious reasons and in 1938 the last Blaenavon furnace was > dismantled." > Meanwhile, Wikipedia maintains its customary standards: > .... but since the ironworks closed in 1900 and the coal mine in 1980, the > population has declined, and now consists mostly of older citizens. > There is so much junk on the internet and the rubbish gets copied and > propagated endlessly so it's important to use reliable sources. Gwent RO > and > BBC should be good. It seems that the last furnace was dismantled the year > you were born............. > =================== > > Dear Walt, > > The sources you've quoted are describing two different ironworks sites. > The > Forge Side site ceased production in 1938, while the original North Street > site closed in the early 1900s. > > The Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World-Heritage website states: > ---------------- > The main focus of the area is Blaenavon Ironworks, a site in state care, > where there are remains of a works with six blast furnaces in which, from > 1789 until 1902, ore was smelted to produce pig iron. > ---------------- > [http://www.world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk/] > > > The Swansea Local History website's South Wales Coal Mining Trail includes > an article on Blaenavon Ironworks that states: > ---------------- > The decline in the steel industry at Blaenavon marked the end of > iron-making > on the old site and the last furnace was blown out in 1904. > ---------------- > [http://www.page-net.com/swansea.localhistory/llansamlet/pages/miningtrail.html] > > > On page 82 of "Blaenavon Through the Years" Volume 2, Malcom Thomas and > John > Lewis clarify the situation for us. I quote: > ---------------- > In the late 1830s, three modern blast furnaces were constructed on the new > site at Forge Side. The new location was chosen due to there being ample > room for expansion and for the siting of new machinery. Its position would > also be accessible to the increasing network of railways in South Wales. > The move heralded the closure of the North Street site, which ceased > production by the end of the 19th century. > ---------------- > Note that the World Heritage Site is the North Street works. > ["Blaenavon Through the Years - in photographs" by Malcom Thomas and John > Lewis, Volume 2, published 1988 by Old Bakehouse Publications, > Abertillery; > ISBN 0-9512181-3-1] > > > To summarise - the original North Street works, which is the famous World > Heritage Site, ceased production soon after 1900. Production then switched > entirely to the Forge Side site whose last furnace was taken out of > commission in 1938. > > Kind regards, > > John > -------------------- > John Ball, Ystalyfera, near Swansea, Wales, UK > E-mail: john@jlb2005.plus.com > John's Homepage: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/ > Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/ > Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/ > > GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/ > Joint Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) RootsWeb mailing lists > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MONMOUTHSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.18/734 - Release Date: > 26/03/2007 14:31 > >