 
Images of Wales
Clydach Ironworks
Clydach Gorge, Breconshire
Photography by John Ball - 24 Sep 1998
(with Agfa ePhoto-307 digtal camera)
The remains of the old Clydach Ironworks are situated at the bottom of the Clydach Gorge about four miles west of Abergavenny.
Clydach is in the parish of Llanelly, Breconshire, close to the Monmouthshire border.
Left: The cathedral-like heart of the ironworks. The original furnace is in the centre of the picture, still blackened by the heat.
Above: The first furnace at the ironworks was built in the early 1790s, but further furnaces were added as the demand for iron increased. In the left foreground were the pig beds, where molten iron was run into troughs forming ingots of pig iron.
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Above: This attractive iron bridge was built in 1824 to provide access to the works offices on the other side of the river Clydach.
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Above: Higher up the Clydach Gorge is this limestone quarry, now disused. Limestone was one of the essential requirements for the production of iron, the others being iron-ore, coke (part burnt coal), water, labour, and a means of transport. All these were brought together at the Clydach works. | | Above: The limestone quarry was served by a railway line which had to negotiate this magnificent stone viaduct bridging the gorge. The river Clydach is out of sight in the trees far below. |
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