Ridsdale Ironworks (Corsenside)
Engine house at Ridsdale Ironworks. Photo by Northumberland County Council, 1994.
(NY 90908472) Foundry Yard. (1)
NY 909848. The shell of an engine house formerly containing two beam blowing engines is the main surviving feature of the substantial but short lived Ridsdale Ironworks (circa 1838 to 1868). Coke ovens, tramways and furnace yard are also still discernible. Recommended as Schedule. (2)
Furnace House at Ridsdale Iron Works, Grade II. Early 19th century. Random rubble with ashlar quoins and Welsh slate roof. One tall storey. 3 bays long. Double doors in later gabled ashlar porch on gable end. 3 tall 12-pane windows on each long side and, on left side 2 square lateral chimney stacks with cornices and dripstones. Gabled roof. Within the boundary of Scheduled Ancient Monument. Adjacent similar building altered and not now of special interest. (3)
Ridsdale Ironworks established 1836 and closed c.1848. Three blast furnaces with a double-beam blowing engine. Site dismantled c.1865, engine house remains with coke oven and roasting kiln earthworks to south. Tramway alignments to coal and ironstone workings. (4)
Ridsdale Ironworks was established in 1836, probably by Messrs Bigge, Cargill and Johnson, utilising local sources of ironstone. The site consisted of three furnaces next to the engine house which contained two beam blowing engines in parallel chambers with an adjoining boiler house. Nearby were coke ovens and calcining kilns, with reservoirs on the opposite side of the A68 road. A network of tramways linked the site with nearby sources of ironstone, limestone and coal.
The works were taken over by Foster and Co in 1848 by which time the furnaces were seldom in blast and the arrival of the Border Counties Railway through Redesdale in 1862 came too late to revive the fortunes of the geographically isolated iron industry in Northumberland. W G Armstrong acquired the site and in 1864 two of the furnaces were dismantled and transferred to his Elswick works near Newcastle upon Tyne. However, Armstrong did take advantage of the railway to extract ironstone from the source used by the Ridsdale works about one mile to the south west of the site as is evidenced by the construction of calcining kilns at this point, probably dating from 1876. Even this usage must have ceased before 1896 when the Elswick works closed, thus drawing to a conclusion the largely unsuccessful history of the 19th century Northumberland iron industry.
The complex survives relatively intact with the coke ovens, calcining kilns, tramways, reservoirs and boiler house displayed as stable earthworks in an area now used as pasture.
Consolidation works have been carried out in 1996, including rebuilding the wall tops, repointing, structural works and consolidation of plaster. In association with the repairs a full photogrammetric survey of the engine house was commissioned and a comprehensive programme of archaeological recording was carried out by Newcastle City Archaeology Unit. (5)
A programme of archaeological recording followed a photogrammetric/rectified photography survey of the engine house by Masons Land Surveys Ltd in March 1995. Four enhanced rectified photography plots have been produced, at a scale of 1:20.
The engine house is constructed of coursed mortared rubble with ashlar quoins and opening surrounds, jointed with a coarse lime mortar with small coal inclusions; all the ashlar shows signs of dressing. Originally there would have been two floors and a basement level - the lower two floors lit by round headed arched windows, the upper floor by square windows. Internally, each floor was recessed from the below it by 50mm-100mm. The original height of the engine house would have been about 9m. It is rectangular in plan and measures c.17.5m by 13m and is divided into two equal compartments. The external walls are 1m thick, while the internal dividing wall is nearly 1.5m thick. A chimney is built on to the south west corner of the building, the upper part is a rebuild; the rest of the building appears to be of one build. The east wall has suffered a major collapse since 1985. (6)
A large ironworks despite its remote location. The engine-house shell is a unique survival. The coke-oven earthworks are unusual in their extent. (7)
NY 909 848. Ridsdale ironworks. Scheduled No ND/587. (8a)
A large ironworks in a remote location with good remains but regular maintenance of the engine house is required. (8b)
General association with HER 9535. (8)
NY 909848. The shell of an engine house formerly containing two beam blowing engines is the main surviving feature of the substantial but short lived Ridsdale Ironworks (circa 1838 to 1868). Coke ovens, tramways and furnace yard are also still discernible. Recommended as Schedule. (2)
Furnace House at Ridsdale Iron Works, Grade II. Early 19th century. Random rubble with ashlar quoins and Welsh slate roof. One tall storey. 3 bays long. Double doors in later gabled ashlar porch on gable end. 3 tall 12-pane windows on each long side and, on left side 2 square lateral chimney stacks with cornices and dripstones. Gabled roof. Within the boundary of Scheduled Ancient Monument. Adjacent similar building altered and not now of special interest. (3)
Ridsdale Ironworks established 1836 and closed c.1848. Three blast furnaces with a double-beam blowing engine. Site dismantled c.1865, engine house remains with coke oven and roasting kiln earthworks to south. Tramway alignments to coal and ironstone workings. (4)
Ridsdale Ironworks was established in 1836, probably by Messrs Bigge, Cargill and Johnson, utilising local sources of ironstone. The site consisted of three furnaces next to the engine house which contained two beam blowing engines in parallel chambers with an adjoining boiler house. Nearby were coke ovens and calcining kilns, with reservoirs on the opposite side of the A68 road. A network of tramways linked the site with nearby sources of ironstone, limestone and coal.
The works were taken over by Foster and Co in 1848 by which time the furnaces were seldom in blast and the arrival of the Border Counties Railway through Redesdale in 1862 came too late to revive the fortunes of the geographically isolated iron industry in Northumberland. W G Armstrong acquired the site and in 1864 two of the furnaces were dismantled and transferred to his Elswick works near Newcastle upon Tyne. However, Armstrong did take advantage of the railway to extract ironstone from the source used by the Ridsdale works about one mile to the south west of the site as is evidenced by the construction of calcining kilns at this point, probably dating from 1876. Even this usage must have ceased before 1896 when the Elswick works closed, thus drawing to a conclusion the largely unsuccessful history of the 19th century Northumberland iron industry.
The complex survives relatively intact with the coke ovens, calcining kilns, tramways, reservoirs and boiler house displayed as stable earthworks in an area now used as pasture.
Consolidation works have been carried out in 1996, including rebuilding the wall tops, repointing, structural works and consolidation of plaster. In association with the repairs a full photogrammetric survey of the engine house was commissioned and a comprehensive programme of archaeological recording was carried out by Newcastle City Archaeology Unit. (5)
A programme of archaeological recording followed a photogrammetric/rectified photography survey of the engine house by Masons Land Surveys Ltd in March 1995. Four enhanced rectified photography plots have been produced, at a scale of 1:20.
The engine house is constructed of coursed mortared rubble with ashlar quoins and opening surrounds, jointed with a coarse lime mortar with small coal inclusions; all the ashlar shows signs of dressing. Originally there would have been two floors and a basement level - the lower two floors lit by round headed arched windows, the upper floor by square windows. Internally, each floor was recessed from the below it by 50mm-100mm. The original height of the engine house would have been about 9m. It is rectangular in plan and measures c.17.5m by 13m and is divided into two equal compartments. The external walls are 1m thick, while the internal dividing wall is nearly 1.5m thick. A chimney is built on to the south west corner of the building, the upper part is a rebuild; the rest of the building appears to be of one build. The east wall has suffered a major collapse since 1985. (6)
A large ironworks despite its remote location. The engine-house shell is a unique survival. The coke-oven earthworks are unusual in their extent. (7)
NY 909 848. Ridsdale ironworks. Scheduled No ND/587. (8a)
A large ironworks in a remote location with good remains but regular maintenance of the engine house is required. (8b)
General association with HER 9535. (8)
N9505
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SURVEY, Ridsdale Engine House 1995; MASON LAND SURVEYS
MANAGEMENT SURVEY, Ridsdale Engine House Survey 1997; Newcastle City Council Archaeology Unit
DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, Green Rigg Wind Farm 2006; Northern Archaeological Associates
WATCHING BRIEF, Ridsdale Ironworks 2019; Alan Williams Archaeology
DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, NO.1 FOUNDRY YARD, RIDSDALE IRONWORKS ; Northern Archaeological Associates
WATCHING BRIEF, Ridsdale Ironworks ; Pre-Construct Archaeology
MANAGEMENT SURVEY, Ridsdale Engine House Survey 1997; Newcastle City Council Archaeology Unit
DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, Green Rigg Wind Farm 2006; Northern Archaeological Associates
WATCHING BRIEF, Ridsdale Ironworks 2019; Alan Williams Archaeology
DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, NO.1 FOUNDRY YARD, RIDSDALE IRONWORKS ; Northern Archaeological Associates
WATCHING BRIEF, Ridsdale Ironworks ; Pre-Construct Archaeology
Disclaimer -
Please note that this information has been compiled from a number of different sources. Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council can accept no responsibility for any inaccuracy contained therein. If you wish to use/copy any of the images, please ensure that you read the Copyright information provided.