Wirg - Find out more


	WEALDEN IRON RESEARCH GROUP www.wealdeniron.org.uk Registered Charity No. 281485

     Homepage
     About WIRG
     History
     Programme
     Publications
     Experimental
        Bloomery
     Excavation
     Find out more
     Belgian Visit
     Iron Site Database
     Iron Thesis
     What is it?
     Links

FIND OUT MORE about the Wealden Iron Industry

Anne of Cleves House, Lewes, Sussex

The best museum display devoted to the Iron Industry of the Weald is in Anne of Cleves House Museum in Lewes, which is run by the Sussex Archeological Society. This shows you how iron ore, mined locally was smelted in water-powered blast furnaces to make iron and how cannon was cast. There is also on display a boring bar recovered from a garden at Stream Furnace Mill, Chiddingly.

Visit the museum's website to find out about opening times and admissions.

Firebacks

Firebacks were cast by pouring molten iron into a sand mould. The mould was created by first making a wooden replica of the desired design and pressing this blank into a tray of damp sand, although very early examples had small objects pressed into the sand, even pieces of rope to make a date or initials.
Anne of Cleves House has a substantial collection of firebacks and two rare, original wooden fireback patterns.

A mid sixteenth century fireback, using small wooden designs
pressed into the sand mould several times.

Hastings Museum also has a good collection of firebacks but these are not on display at present.

Ordnance and Cannon

Fort Nelson was built to protect Portsmouth harbour against the threat of invasion, but is now a Royal Armouries Museum. It has an impressive collection of weaponry through the centuries, including cannon made at furnaces in the Weald.
Visit the museum's website to find out opening times and admissions.

Iron ordnance cast in the Weald.

A 'Brass' ie bronze mortar cast by William Bowen, a Wealden founder, in the 1760s.

Iron Graveslabs
This is not an important commercial product of the Wealden furnaces, but from the 16th century several people associated with the Iron Industry had iron graveslabs made using the same method as for firebacks, instead of using the usual carved stone monument. There are several churches in Sussex with them but the largest number surviving are in the church at St.Peter & St.Paul, Wadhurst. The picture shows one made for a lawyer's wife and is in East Grinstead church.