On a beautiful autumn day 10 members of SPAG and Holcombe Moor Heritage Group (HMHG) set off up Holcombe Moor in our quest to find the site of a medieval iron furnace. Divided into two groups to ensure we were COVID safe the groups were led by Neil Coldrick, dig director at HMHG, ably assisted by Robin Heywood who has extensive knowledge of the local area.  On the way up Moorbottom Road we came across an old drinking trough built into the stone wall.

Further up the road we were rewarded with magnificent views over Manchester towards Jodrell Bank.

The next photo shows the ruins of an old farmhouse called Clark’s Tenement with a cobbled road surface in front. This is one of several ruined farmhouses which border the army training land.

Turning left at the old Nook farmhouse we began our descent into the valley towards Holcombe Head, once a large house with a clearly visible sunken roadway next to it.

The remains of a large stone trough were noted next to the ruined farmhouse.

Dodging a bullet (or two)

Deftly avoiding the Danger Area (there were no red flags) Neil led us across the muddy valley to our destination, Cinder Hill Field. Here Neil vividly brought to life what lay beneath our feet at the dig site and handed out photos taken last year during the dig there.

What lies beneath
Note the large stone thought to be associated with the site of the hearth, a few metres away, where impurities would be hammered out of the bloom to make wrought iron. Hollows dug for the bellows and bellows operator are also visible.

What lies ahead…
Amazingly on the last day of the 2019 dig the group discovered a second furnace on the site. This led to the speculation that the site had been worked continuously over several centuries. The discovery of post holes and pottery nearby support this.

This is the photo of the second furnace showing multiple linings of the furnace walls, suggesting reuse over several years.
I have searched YouTube for a short video explaining the smelting process and came up with this one, only 3 minutes long..

Hope you enjoy it.
Members of HMHG are hoping to continue unravelling the secrets of Cinder Hill Field next year. See their website for more details