This included:
| Year | |
|---|---|
|
1792 |
A company was formed to build a canal of over 30 miles to link the Woulds with main canal work |
| 1800 | The Ashby Woulds were 'enclosed' confirming the Earl's mineral rights. |
| 1804 | The first coal mine was sunk, a lime kiln built and construction started on the Earl's iron-making blast furnace. |
| 1811 | The blast furnace closed, although a foundry making iron castings continued to function on the site for a further 30 years. |
| 1812 | A spa was founded in Moira to exploit the saline water from down the mines but people didn't like taking a cure beside a coalmine. |
| 1820s | The Lime Works were developed to meet the gorwing demand for "quicklime" for farming and building. |
| 1822 | The saline water was transported by canal and tramway to the Ivanhoe Baths in Ashby de la Zouch |
| 1850s | Industrial activity except for coal and clay extraction ended when the lime kilns and foundry closed. |
| 1940s | The canal was abandoned and filled in due to railway competition and mining subsidence. |
| 1970s | The last residents move out of the Furnace buildings. |
| 1980s | Coal mining, the area's most successful venture, finally ceased. |
As you can see Moira Furnace was not an iron making furnace for long and was eventually converted into housing for the growing mining community. In the 1850s there were three families (18 people) living here. It was finally abandoned in the 1970s and a part of the exhibitiion shows how families lived within the Furnace at the turn of the last century.
Moira Furnace is now a protected Scheduled Monument and has been repaired and restored to provide you with a unique trip into our industrial past.
Last updated: Tue 5 May, 2020 @ 12:17