Deutsch/English
Lorne Furnace, auch Bonawe Ironworks, ist ein ehemaliges Eisenwerk in der schottischen Ortschaft Taynuilt. Es liegt nahe der Küste des Meeresarms Loch Etive an der Mündung des River Awe in der Council Area Argyll and Bute.
Geschichte
Das Eisenwerk wurde in den Jahren 1752 und 1753 erbaut und diente der Roheisengewinnung aus Hämatit. Zur Beschaffung der benötigten Holzkohle erwarb das Unternehmen die Nutzungsrechte an den umliegenden Birkenwäldern. Zu den infrastrukturellen Einrichtungen zählten neben den werkseigenen Arbeiterwohnungen auch eine Schule und eine Kirche. Wahrscheinlich im Jahre 1874 wurde die Hütte geschlossen. Sie gilt heute als das bedeutendste Zeugnis für die frühe Eisenverhüttung in Schottland. 1971 wurde der Lorne Furnace in die schottischen Denkmallisten in der höchsten Kategorie A aufgenommen. Außerdem ist die Anlage seit 1998 als Scheduled Monument klassifiziert.
The Bonawe Iron Furnace (also called the Lorn Furnace), was an industrial complex located in Bonawe, Lorn District, Scotland. It operated in the middle of the eighteenth century, with the aim of producing pig iron. Central to this complex was a charcoal fired blast furnace.
History
The industrial complex was built in 1753 by Richard Ford's small business, the Newland Company. The site was chosen because there was enough wood in the area for the production of charcoal, as well as the fact that there was enough water pressure in the river to drive a water wheel. As the company itself was established in Cumbria, the blast furnace was managed by a local representative of the firm. During construction, most of the building materials were brought in from Cumbria. For the furnace to produce pig iron, it first had to be brought up to temperature, which took about one week. The oven was used almost continuously for nine months at a time.
The complex employed as many as 600 people at the height of its operation. The majority of the staff were needed for the collection of timber and the manufacture of charcoal. The daily output could reach up to 2500 kilograms of pig iron and the annual production was about 700,000 kilograms. As the complex did not include a forge, finished iron products could not be manufactured, with the exception of simple objects such as cannonballs. The majority of pig iron was taken to offices of the Newland Company in Cumbria to be shipped for further processing.
As of 1750, the use of coke as fuel was becoming common. The first blast furnace in Scotland which made use of coke was built in 1759 near Falkirk. This new development in the production of iron in the complex made Bonawe less profitable. In the nineteenth century, production fell sharply and the complex was closed in 1876.
The remains of Bonawe Iron Furnace are currently managed by Historic Scotland.