Bonawe Iron Furnace was founded by Cumbrian-based business Richard Ford and Company (also known as Newland Co, George Knott & Co, Knott, Ainslie & Co, Harrison Ainslie & Co, Harrison Ainslie, Roper & Co, and finally as Harrison Ainslie & Co Ltd) in 1753.
Bonawe was Scotland's longest existing charcoal-fired blast furnace and the second last to close in Britain in 1876. The furnace remained in operation for roughly 123 years and ushered in a new age of industrialisation in the Scottish Highlands, forever changing the landscape and population of the area.
Images:
- Bonawe (2022)
- Bonawe (2022)
- Drawing of Bonawe Ironworks, ‘Lorne Furnace, Bonawe, Argyll; remains of the main complex’ (1975); Site plan of Bonawe Ironworks (1984); Bonawe external wall (2022)
