Summary
A rectangular building, 12 m. x 5 m. lies with its axis E/W. The outlines of the W corners survive, covered by moss, to a maximum of 5 visible courses. There is a doorway in the centre of the W wall. Most of the N and S walls are ill-defined, marked only be mounds of rubble.
Identification Images (1)
Monument Types
- SMELTING HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Description
A rectangular building, 12 m. x 5 m. lies with its axis E/W. The outlines of the W corners survive, covered by moss, to a maximum of 5 visible courses. There is a doorway in the centre of the W wall. Most of the N and S walls are ill-defined, marked only be mounds of rubble. This may be due to robbing, but it is possible that the S wall was arched: the rubble on this side is less plentiful than on the N, so an open side may have faced the platform where fuel was stored. The E corners appear to be marked by returns from the wall beyond the wheel-pit, although the alignment with the W corners of the building is not exact.
The interior of the smelting house is choked with rubble, which obscures interior features. Within the building there would have been a smelting hearth (ore-hearth) and probably a slag hearth, for re-smelting slag from the ore-hearth. It is likely that stratification has been damaged by the roots of a large birch tree growing within the building. This has recently been felled. The hearths would have been blown by sets of bellows driven by the water wheel. The enclosure at the E end, noted above, has the appearance of a secondary feature, post-dating the smelter; its purpose has not been discovered.
Other Statuses and References
- HER/SMR Reference (External): 5907
Associated Events
- ENA1030 - Field Survey, Survey and re-photographing of Froggatt Wood Ore-hearth and Lead Smelter, Longshaw Estate
Associated Finds
None Recorded
Related Records
- Related to: Smelt Mill Complex at Froggatt Wood, Longshaw Estate (Monument) - 60221*0 / MNA112814