HER 5608 DESCRIPTION:-

Scheduled Monuemnt Description:-

The monument includes the standing, earthwork and buried remains of a steelworks lying within the Forest of Dean in an area well known for industrial activity, particularly of the 19th Century and earlier, including iron, stone, coal and timber extraction. Dark Hill iron and brickworks lie about 250 metres to the south east and are the subject of a separate scheduling (SAM28878). Robert Forester Mushet inherited a share in the Dark Hill iron works after the death, in June 1847, of his father David, who had founded the works. In September 1847 Robert dissolved his partnership with his brother also David, in the Dark Hill furnace, and went in partnership with Thomas Deykin Clare, a Birmingham merchant. They formed a new company called ‘R Mushet & Co.’ Forest Steel Works, with premises which lay ‘a few hundred yards to the north west of Dark Hill’, probably within the old Dark Hill brickworks site, which is part of the Dark Hill scheduling. This small experimental steel works pioneered processes that would later be used at the Titanic Steel Works.

Perhaps because of the secrecy which surrounded the production of this new type of steel, there is no description of the form or function of the different buildings at Dark Hill. There is similarly no detailed record of the processes involved at the Titanic works, however, a list of men involved in the different processes in the small experimental Forest Steel Works is on record, and will give an indication of the production areas of the Titanic works. The site included ‘a crucible furnace of ten melting holes, and a pair of wooden shelves or old fashioned tilt-hammers; the melting holes were square so as to hold four crucibles or pots in each. The walls of the structure were formed of local red grit stone.’ The men employed to carry out the work were listed as a: ‘potmaker’, to prepare, mould, and condition the clay crucibles; two forge men; a melter and head melter, the latter the most important man in the crucible melting team; a handyman to help with the preparation and weighing of materials for melting; and a general handyman to do odd jobs. Subsequently Robert employed two Sheffield men as melters, and a blacksmith made hammers, chisels and other tools. In 1856 Robert, with the aid of S H Blackwell of Dudley, added to the steel works a cupola for melting pig iron, a small Bessemer hearth or converter, and a blowing apparatus which worked the tilt hammers. In his new process Mushet was able to remove oxygen from iron produced by the Bessemer process using a material known as "spiegeleisen'’ which was a triple compound of iron, manganese and carbon. It is thought that the Titanic works followed a similar organisation and process.

In October 1862 The Titanic Steel and Iron Co Ltd was formed, promoted by Mushet to provide capital for expansion. The works, described as large and ornate, were built about 250 metres north west of the Dark Hill premises. The buildings which constitute the steel works now survive as wall footings with associated buried remains. There are also reported to be deposits of slag, residues from the steel making process, in the area. An Ordnance Survey map dating from the 19th century shows the works to have been aligned north west-south east, covering an area about 150 metres by 80 metres, with the buildings in four ranges enclosing a central yard. The gasometer shown on the plan of the works was used for storing producer gas which was used in heating the steel. By 1868 Mushet was producing self-hardening tool steel, known as R Mushet’s Special Steel, which was much in demand in the Sheffield area. The Special Steel was made by alloying steel with the element tungsten. The resulting alloy was an immediate success because of its hardness, toughness and durability, and its unusual property of hardening itself without quenching or rapid cooling in any way. All that was necessary was to heat the steel, forge it to the shape required, and let it cool; it was then ground to a working point, to sharpen it, and could be used at once. Raw materials for the steel making process, including the iron base, continued to be produced at the nearby ‘brickyard’ part of the Dark Hill works.

By the late 19th century steel manufacture moved away from the carbon steel field in favour of tungsten-alloy steels. These are more sophisticated now than in Mushet’s day, but are basically the same, and are still made throughout Britain. The Titanic works were closed in 1871, and the company voluntarily wound up in August 1874.

Thereafter the premises lay neglected. In 1908 the office of Woods advertised the property for lease, but there was not interest in taking up the lease at that time. In 1926 the property was on lease to Lydney District Brickworks & Colliers Ltd, who in 1928 sub-let to Milkwall Brickworks Ltd. The buildings gradually deteriorated further. Photographs taken in 1935 and 1951 show some of the buildings standing to full height. In 1964 the remnants of the steelworks, having for many years been open to the elements, and used for many purposes including a chicken run, were demolished by the Forestry Commission, but the area was never planted. Wall footings are visible as low earthworks with some standing fabric.

Assessment of Importance

Iron has been produced in England from at least 500 BC. The iron industry, spurred on by a succession of technological developments, has played a major part in the history of the country, its production and overall importance peaking with the Industrial Revolution. Iron ores occur in a variety of forms across England, giving rise to several different extraction techniques, including open casting, seam-based mining similar to coal mining, and underground quarrying, and resulting in a range of different structures and features at extraction sites. Ore was originally smelted into iron in small relatively low-temperature furnaces known as bloomeries. These were replaced from the 16th century by blast furnaces which were larger and operated at a higher temperature to produce molten metal for cast iron. Cast iron is brittle, and to convert it into malleable wrought iron or steel it needs to be remelted. This was originally conducted in an open hearth in a finery forge, but technological developments, especially with steel production, gave rise to more sophisticated types of furnaces. A comprehensive survey of the iron and steel industry has been conducted to identify a sample of sites of national importance that represents the industry’s chronological range, technological breadth and regional diversity.

Despite demolition of the standing buildings, the Titanic Steel Works survives well as footings and associated buried features of an extensive steel production site. The remains of buildings together with the associated buried deposits will provide evidece of the development of steelworking technology over a considerable period of time, and will give us insight into the important changes to production discovered by Mushet. Slag deposits in the area will provide further evidence of the changing technology over time.

The site is closely associated with the nearby Dark Hill iron and brick works, both in terms of Robert Mushet’s involvement and in the continued use of the Dark Hill site in producing materials for use in the steel works. The Titanic site is bordered by footpaths so that the situation and extent of the works can be appreciated, providing an important educational resource. {Source Work 2873.}

The Titanic Steel and Iron Company was formed on October 22nd 1862 by Robert Mushet and incorporated the buildings of the Darkhill Ironworks (HER 5606). The company flourished until it closed in 1871 and was voluntarily wound up in August 1874. Its large ornate works were left derelict despite attempts to let them until 1926-8. Photographs were taken of them in 1935 and 1951, but the buildings were finally bulldozed by the Forestry Commission about 1964-5, having been open to the sky for many years. {Source Work 862.}

This "small experimental steelwork"; situated a few hundred yards to the north-west of Darkhill, included "a crucible furnace of ten melting holes...square". The walls were of local red grit stone. Built 1847. Expanded 1862, large ornate works a few hundred yards west-north-west of Darkhill. The company was wound up in 1874 and the premises lay neglected until 1926 when it was leased to Lydney District Brickworks. In 1964 the remnants were bulldozed with the exception of one small cottage - "Steelworks Cottage". {Source Work 134, plate 17.}

Robert Mushet went into partnership with Deykin Clare, a merchant from Birmingham. They called themselves R.Mushet & Co., and built a small experimental steelworks called Forest Steel Works. Robert began to make cast steel based on the method his father David patented back in 1800; although good quality, it was expensive to make. {Source Work 4593.}

1856 - Robert Mushet experimented with spiegeleisen, inspired by Bessemer's process for producing steel. He combined his technique with Bessemer's, and produced a bar of steel with no deficiencies. This 'Bessemer-Mushet Process' involved forcing air through molten cast iron to burn out all carbon and impuities, then converting it into steel by mixing it with an exact amount of spiegeleisen. Robert Mushet continued experimenting at the Forest Steel Works. One discovery was the use of kaolin or Cornish china clay mixed with ordinary fire clay to make crucibles for making steel. He failed to patent this discovery. {Source Work 4593.}

1861 - In about 1861, he made 'Titanic Cast Steel' (steel made with titanium). The Forest Steel Works were too small to cope with Titanic Steel, so in October 1862 the Titanic Steel & Iron Co Ltd was set up, and the Forest Steel works expanded to cope with the expected success of Titanic steel. When completed, the new Titanic Steel Works occupied two acres of ground, and employed 300 men. However, the company failed to prosper. Finished goods had to be loaded into trams and pulled by horses along the tramroad to the nearest railway station at Parkend, two miles away. {Source Work 4593.}

1874 - The Titanic Company formally wound up in August 1874. {Source Work 4593.}

Recorded as 'Steel Works (Disused)' on the OS 1st-2nd edition 25" maps of c.1880 and c.1900. {Source Works 5134 & 5136.}

There are important deposits of slag which are of great interest to students of metallurgy.

1908 - Two letters (dated 10th and 11th February 1908) contained within a bundle of documents relating to the removal of cinders from the Forest of Dean in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and held at Gloucestershire Record Office (reference D9096/F.3/767/1185), are applications to remove cinders from the site of the old Steel Works at Milkwall {Source Work 7558.}

NB - The exact location of these cinders is not clear, therefore the location digitised on CoGIS and the grid reference given in the HER are approximate only. {Pers. comm. L. Butler, 19/11/2003.}

1998 - A site visit was made by J. Wills of Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service, Bill Cronin of Forest of Dean District Council and Mrs J. Marrott on 19/12/1998. The site was heavily overgrown with brambles, bracken and some young trees. Wall footings survive to c.1-1.5 metres in height but little stonework was visible, with the exception of the north east corner of the site where two walls of one of the buildings survive to near roof height around the garden of a cottage (shown on 1st ed. OS). {Source Work 484.}

See area management for comments from the English Heritage's Monument Protection Programme (MPP) Step 3 report. {Source Work 5774.}

2003 - This area was mapped at 1:10,000 scale as part of the English Heritage: Gloucestershire NMP project.

Substantial remains of the steel works complex are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1945-6. The visible remains include the perimeter wall, many roofless buildings and a chimney. A photograph taken in 1997 shows that some standing masonry survives, but the site is largely covered in vegetation. {Source Works 4249, 7549, 7531, 6880 and 7667.}

2004 - A management plan was produced by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service and its recommendations are recorded on the management screen. {Source Work 7763.}

2019 - This monument was previously recorded within the Historic England National Record of the Historic Environment. That record, formerly held within the AMIE database, interpreted features visible on aerial photographs as the remains of coal works, which could have predated the steel works on the site. That record is quoted below:

Historic England UI - 109452, NMR - SO 50 NE 187 “SO 5882 0891. Post Medieval coal workings, comprising drift mining or open cast workings, small pits and spoil heaps, are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. The remains cover about 0.8 hectares, and have been mapped by EH's Gloucestershire NMP. (1-2)” {Source Work 4249.}

Historic England UI - 109452, NMR - SO 50 NE 25 “The Titanic Steel and Iron Company was formed on October 22nd 1862 by Robert Mushet and incorporated the buildings of the Darkhill Ironworks (SO 50 NE 19). The company flourished until it closed in 1871 and was voluntarily wound up in August, 1874. Its large ornate works were left derelict despite attempts to let them until 1926-8. Photographs were taken of them in

1935 and 1951, but the buildings were finally bulldozed by the Forestry Commission about 1964-5, having been opened to the sky for many years. (2)

The Dark Hill works which were incoperated into the Titanic Steel and Iron company in 1862 are belived to have stood a few hundred yards E.S.E of the ornate buildings of the company. The Darkhill site falls into two distinct area. In the valley bottom is the old Darkhill furnaces site, with above to the north the old brickworks site within which Mushet carries out his experements with Spiegel Eisen.

The brickworks site, centered 50.0 metres north of the furnaces, comprises brick-drying rooms, the bases of two brick kilns at either end. On the south, are an edge mill, a blacksmiths shop and a third brick kiln base. At the eastern end of the blacksmiths shop is a line of four brick lined crucibles. The site of Robert Mushets spiegal experiments in 1847. On the north side is a large mass of iron slag. the bricks of the crucibles are fused together.

In 1847 Robert Mushet went into partnership with T D Clare of Brimingham. The works were renamed "Robert Mushet and Company Forest Steel Works". The premises stood `about 150 yards from Darkhill'. Probably withn the then disused brick works site above the old Darkhill furnace.

Mushet added Speigel Eisen a high phosphrous iron ore to Bessemer Converters on this site to improve the quality of the steel produced. In 1868, Mushet produced the first tungsten alloy steel in England at the Titanic works.

Nothing remains of the steel works, save some wall footings of ashlar and brick, in thick undergrowth and long grass. 1:2500 depiction correct. (3)

SO 588 090. The site "has been largely bulldozed" but some buildings remain; eg "Steelworks Cottage". There are important deposits of slag, of great interest to students of metallurgy. (4)

Substantial remains of the steel works complex are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1945-6. The visible remains include the perimeter wall, many roofless buildings and a chimney. A photograph taken in 1997 shows that some standing masonry survives, but the site is largely covered in vegetation. The steel works site has been mapped by EH's Gloucestershire NMP. (5-7)

A neglected site that was crucial in the development of early tool steels. Is now covered in dense tree growth. (9)” {Source Work 4249.}

"Private factory gasworks for the Titanic Steel & Iron Co. Ltd. gasworks. Built by W.C. Holmes of Huddersfield." Also "Gasometer present on 1881-1902 OS maps indicating a private gasworks to

the Steel works. These works were shown as disused by 1902. Nothing visible survives." {Quoted from Source Work 17196.}