See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Site of the furnace buildings on north side of the works. These are possibly the earliest buildings as shown on the mid 19th century map of Bereferris Manor.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FURNACE (Built, XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Buildings shown on north side of smelter complex. Map object based on this Source.

Claughton, P. F., 1998, A Brief History of the Tamar Smelting Works (Un-published). SDV240080.

The furnace sites (C) lay along the northern side of the yard. The reverberatory furnaces were free-standing structures, built of firebrick bound with iron straps; they were robbed for the component parts once abandoned. A number of the abutments survive with their integral flue arches and one of the massive furnace sumpter posts survives as a flower bed in the yard at Treyard.
Towards the northeast corner of the site (F) was a complex of smaller furnaces, probably including the revivers, used to recover lead by resmelting litharge [lead monoxide].

Buck, C., 2008, Weir Quay Smelters, Devon: Impact and Conservation Assessment, 18, 30 (Report - Assessment). SDV344723.

A single line of buildings is shown on a plan of the manor of 'Bereferris', set back from the road against the hillside down to the quay, and fronted by a yard. All of the former buildings on the northern side of the site have gone, leaving traces of the former furnaces they contained where they adjoined their respective flues, set in the rear retaining walls. The north retaining wall has been cut into the southern valley side of the smelter complex, providing the necessary space of a yard. The western end retaining wall is approximately 4.5 metres high, cut into bedrock and infilled with killas stone where necessary. It is likely that the furnaces were sited parallel to the retaining wall, and there are remnants of two arched openings that may have had flues attached. Other details: Figures 17, 22, sites 52 - 53.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Map object based on this Source.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4767 - Archaeological Assessment of Weir Quay Smelters
• EDV4768 - Field Survey of Weir Quay Smelters, Devon

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.