1. Started 1765 (first furnace); furnaces survive almost intact. Boulton and Watt steam rotative engine supplied to works in 1806. (66 horse power, 40 inch cylinder, 8 feet stroke).
RCAHMW, 01 January 1993.
2. Seven furnaces were built at Cyfarthfa between 1786 and 1814 by the Ironmaster Richard Crawshay on the site of a works started originally in 1765. Crawshay built a fully integrated ironworks which quickly became the largest in the world. In 1788, Crawshay installed at the site the first Watt engine for a rolling mill. At its peak, Cyfarthfa employed thousands of workers, producing 29,000 tonnes of iron per year. The original furnaces, which were replaced by more modern furnaces in the 1880s for a steelworks which continued operating until 1926, survive almost intact to full height, with many of their internal features. Consolidation of the first five furnaces has been undertaken. (From notes via D.K Leighton for TICCIH 2000 Conference)
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 05 September 2000.
RCAHMW AP94-CS 0785
RCAHMW AP945107/54-5
3. Impressive remains of six (of seven) substantial stone furnaces mark the site of the Crawshay empire. The bases of the four later iron-clad furnaces and Cowper stoves visible in front. Iron was made on this site from 1767 until final closure in 1919.
(A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of South East Wales, AIA, 2003)
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 27 September 2007.