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Clydach Ironworks
Clydach Gorge, Breconshire
Library collection - from Sep 24, 1998
The remains of the old Clydach Ironworks are situated at the bottom of the Clydach Gorge about four miles west of Abergavenny. Clydach is in Breconshire, close to its border with Monmouthshire.
Left: The cathedral-like heart of the ironworks. The original furnace is in the centre of the picture, still blackened by the heat.
Above: The first furnace at the ironworks was built in the early 1790s, but further furnaces
were added as the demand for iron increased. In the left foreground were the pig beds,
where molten iron was fed into troughs forming ingots of pig iron.
Above: This attractive iron bridge was built in 1824 to provide access to the works
offices on the other side of the river Clydach.

Above left: Higher up the Clydach Gorge is this limestone quarry, now disused. Limestone
was an essential requirement for the production of iron. The other requirements were
iron-ore, coke (partly burnt coal), water, manpower, and a means of transport, all of
which were brought together at the Clydach works.
Above right: The limestone quarry was served by a railway line which had to negotiate this
magnificent stone viaduct bridging the gorge. The river Clydach is out of sight in the trees
far below.
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