HER 5682 DESCRIPTION:-

Lower Soudley Ironworks was composed of two furnaces and two steam engines, and was built in 1837 at Bullo tunnel's mouth in Lower Soudley by Edward Protheroe & Co. The works became idle in March 1842. In 1857 the works were bought by Benjamin Gibbons who used it for about one year. He sold the works to Alfred Goold in 1863 who used one furnace in 1864 and 1866. It was then sold to Maximillian Low in November 1866. One furnace was in use between 1871-1875 when the Great Western Iron Co acquired the works. One furnace was in use in 1876 c.1877, but the works became idle in 1877.

In 1895 a crusher was installed with three sidings to clear slag for ballast purposes. The chimney stacks were felled c.1900 and the sidings removed prior to 1920. The only remains are the long retaining wall and the rail track. {Source Work 862.}

The works at Ayleford (SMR 9937) may have been replaced by the Lower Soudley iron-works, 0.5 mile further up the Soudley brook, and, like Ayleford, on the Hayhill estate. The iron-works owned by Edward Jones that were rated in 1824 may have been at Soudley rather than Ayleford, for a map of the same year marked a pond, mill and foundary at Soudley. The works, which lay beside the mineral railway line from Bullo Pill to the Forest of Dean (SMR 5704), were occupied in 1839 by the Soudley Iron Co., and were called the Great Western Iron Works in 1879. By 1885 they had evidently gone out of use, and by 1901 the course of the railway-line had been diverted to cross the site. The pond made in the brook above the works had gone by 1920. {Source Work 894.}

Marked on 1st series 25" OS map as "Great Western Iron Works". {Source Work 5134.}

Shown on 1839 Newnham tithe map, along with adjacent piece of land named "Coke Yard". Also shown on the rectified copy of the the East Dean (Ruspidge) parish map as 'Soudley Furnace'. {Source Work 6634.}