Bonawe Iron Furnace

All the years we've been coming to Argyll, we never visited the heritage site of Bonawe Iron Furnace before. It's really interesting and in a lovely setting between Loch Etive and the River Awe. Bonawe was founded in 1753, a charcoal fuelled ironworks which produced pig iron to supply smiths all over the country. Labourers worked 12 hour shifts in what was described as searing heat, back breaking work, and deafening noise. Gave me a new perspective on some of my own ancestors who did the same work in Bradford at a coal fired foundry in the 1800's. This photo is taken in the ruins of one of the 'sheds', although their idea of sheds is not of the garden variety, but sturdily constructed thick stone walls.