Fernhurst Gets Fired up for Furnace Day
Aug 30, 2006
Cannon and musket fire will ring out in Fernhurst next month - when an open weekend is held at one of the Sussex Weald’s best-preserved iron furnaces from the Industrial Revolution (Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September).
South Downs Joint Committee (SDJC) and the Fernhurst Furnace Preservation Group have again joined forces to organise the unique event at the former North Park furnace, one mile west of Fernhurst. Last year the event was held on a single day and proved a big success.
Part of Heritage Open Days – a celebration of England’s architecture and culture – the event will be free to visitors.
The furnace was in use between 1616 and 1777 when the iron industry flourished in Fernhurst, using local ore, charcoal and waterpower.
Says SDJC Countryside Ranger Jenny Lynch: “ The untouched nature of the plot and rural surroundings conceals the fact that this was a very valuable site, which would have worked with cast iron to produce tools and cannons at the start of the Industrial Revolution.”
But she said that erosion had been a long-standing threat to the site. “ During periods of heavy rainfall, excessive volumes of water rush through sluices from the furnace pond and parts of the wheel pits and tail race have already been washed away.”
The Open Days offer an opportunity for a wider audience to learn about the fascinating history of the site and support the work of the Preservation Group.
Says Jenny: “It will be a fun, family event and a chance to step back in time at this wonderful example of Sussex industrial heritage.”
Muskets and a cannon will be fired during re-enactments and the action-packed event will also include charcoal burning demonstrations, talks, walks, displays and guided tours of the furnace. There will be a chance to sample 17th century foods, which would have been eaten by the furnace workers of the time, as well as a spit roast of South Downs lamb.
Situated between Haslemere and Midhurst, the site will be signposted from the A286. The event runs from 10.30am to 5pm on both days.
The Preservation Group aims to make the site publicly accessible and promote it as an educational resource. The project is supported by SDJC, Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council, Wealden Iron Research Group and English Heritage.
