Hareshaw Ironworks Dam History

Hareshaw Ironworks and the nearby Ridsdale Ironworks were part of the short lived rural iron industry in Northumberland which sprang up in the early 19th century at sites where the raw materials were available. Established in 1838 by Messrs Bigge and Partners with two blast furnaces, a further one was added in 1840.

At the peak of its operation the site also contained seventy coke ovens, twenty four large roasting kilns for calcining the iron ore, a range of coal stores, a blacksmith's shop, wagon shed, stables and stores. The works were in continuous production until 1848 and were maintained by the Union Bank of Newcastle Upon Tyne for a further ten years in anticipation of the proposed Borders Railway. By the time it arrived the bank was in financial difficulties and the limitations imposed by local sources of supply resulted in the plant being auctioned and many of the buildings demolished.

The Ironworks Dam which can be found in the steep valley of the Hareshaw Burn contained a sheet of water 30m x 200m. In the east wall is a large rectangular opening which would have contained a sluice gate to control the flow of water to a stone lined channel or head race that connected to the ironworks.  Here it powered a 70hp waterwheel which together with a 120hp steam engine provided the air blast for the furnaces. The dam wall appears to have been partly dismantled after the final closure of the works to a level below the sluice gate, though the lower courses survived until the late 1960s when they were swept away in a severe flood. The stress cracks on the inner wing walls and the sockets of the dam wall are clearly visible. It is thought that the pressure of water or impact damage on the dam wall forced out the wing walls and that the subsequent loss of compression resulted in the collapse of the dam wall. The stone blocks can be found in the burn as far away as the Redesdale Road Bridge.