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Blowing houses at Week Ford is a scheduled ancient monument located in Devon comprising the remains of tin smelting installations. These structures date to the medieval and early modern period, reflecting the significant tin mining and processing industry that flourished in Devon during the later Middle Ages and beyond. The blowing houses represent the physical infrastructure of ore processing, where tin was smelted using water-powered bellows to achieve the high temperatures necessary for extracting metal from ore. The site survives as archaeological earthworks and structural remains that evidence the technological practices and economic importance of tin production in the South West of England during this period.
Blowing houses at Week Ford is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002602. View the official record →
Blowing houses at Week Ford is a scheduled ancient monument located in Devon comprising the remains of tin smelting installations.
Blowing houses at Week Ford is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002602.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including One of three cairns on Three Barrows, Ugborough Moor (9.8 km), One of three cairns on Three Barrows, Ugborough Moor (9.8 km), Enclosure with hut circles to the north-east of Piles Copse (10 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Blowing houses at Week Ford's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Blowing houses at Week Ford stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is felsic-rock.