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Wheelbirks furnace is a cast iron blast furnace located in Northumberland, dating from the 18th century industrial period. The furnace represents an important phase in the development of iron production in northern England, when charcoal-fuelled smelting operations were established to exploit local ore and timber resources. The surviving structure preserves evidence of the technological methods employed in early modern iron working, with remains that contribute to understanding the archaeological landscape of Northumberland's industrial heritage.
Wheelbirks furnace is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002919. View the official record →
Wheelbirks furnace is a cast iron blast furnace located in Northumberland, dating from the 18th century industrial period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002919.
Wheelbirks furnace 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 1002919.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Romano-British settlement, 490m SSE of Apperley Dene (0.7 km), Bywell Castle gate tower (3.8 km), Ebchester (Vindomora) Roman station (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Wheelbirks furnace'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.
Wheelbirks furnace stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.