Tucked away at the back of the Bersham Mill building is the first Blast Furnace in Wales.

The Industrial Revolution in Wales began here at Bersham, then moved to South Wales because of its superior coal and iron and easy access to the Sea. Wales is regarded as the world’s FIRST INDUSTRIAL NATION. In 1721 Ironmaster Charles Lloyd, a fellow Quaker and friend of Abraham Darby, successfully used Coke (roasted coal) to smelt iron here at Bersham. Darby had done this for the first time in 1709 at Coalbrookdale (Ironbridge) unleashing the Industrial Revolution. To make 1 ton of Iron you will need; 5 tons of Coke (Roasted Coal) 3 tons of Ironstone (Iron Ore) 1 ton of Limestone (which acts as a FLUX to attract the impurities from the ironstone and coke) These minerals are heaped up inside a furnace and air is BLASTED in at the bottom to create temperatures in excess of 11,000 degrees Centigrade which extracts the iron from the ore.