Monument record 243 - Warmingham Iron Furnace

Warmingham Iron Furnace situated on the River Wheelock, to north of Warmingham Village. On Crewe estate and tenanted in 1677 by Richard Foley of Longton. Slag indicating crude iron extraction found in river bed between SJ7051 6254 and SJ 7056 6237. Road may cross river on the original dam though there may have been a corn mill at this site (1).

Warmingham furnace was tenanted by the Foley partnership in 1677 from the Crewe estate. However, there is no other evidence for a blast furnace, and all 18th century references are to a ‘forge’. The lists of 1715, 1718, 1736 and 1749 give annual outputs of 100, 120, 100 and 300 tons respectively. The garden at Mill Lodge (slag suggests this to be the actual location) showed no evidence of a blast furnace use but it seems likely that there was a finery on site due to the amount of forge cinder and forge-bottom slag found. There are quantities of slag on the western bank of the River Weaver, north of the dam. The public road follows the dam. The site was used as a corn mill in the 19th century and the arch in the road embankment seems to date to the same period. There are clear earthworks marking the tailrace in the field to the north of the garden. This is the most promising site in Cheshire for residue sampling. It is of good potential value due to good documentation and close location of residues. Subsequent use as corn mill may lessen this potential for scheduling (3).

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, Waggott T 1964 SJ76SW4 (Index). SCH2487.

<2> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 109/9 Awty B 1957 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

<3> Instone. E, 1995, MPP Iron & Steel Industry Step Report 3 (Report). SCH4343.