Dyfi Furnace (Cadw)

The Industrial Revolution wasn’t confined to coal and iron in south Wales and slate in the north. Built around 1755, this charcoal-fired blast furnace used for the smelting of iron ore is one of the best-preserved industrial buildings of its type in Britain. Harnessing the power of the River Einion, the furnace’s waterwheel drove a huge set of bellows. These huffed and puffed compressed air into the furnace, creating the scorching temperatures needed to process the ore into pig iron, much of which was sent to forges in the Midlands.

The furnace only operated for around 50 years before being abandoned. The restored waterwheel that can now be seen is a remnant of the building’s second life as a sawmill.
Pig-iron produced by the furnace would have been transported to the Midlands with a small amount used by local forges. The blast furnace went out of use in 1810.

During excavation work in the 1980's, evidence was found pointing to the possibility that the furnace was built on the site of a 17th century silver and lead works. It is thought that the Royal Mint in Aberystwyth Castle at the time, was secretly switched to the Furnace site during the Civil War of 1642-48.