Furnace
| Furnace Gaelic: An Fhùirneis | |
| Argyllshire | |
|---|---|
 The old iron furnace | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NN025002 |
| Location: | 56°9’12"N, 5°10’54"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Inveraray |
| Postcode: | PA32 |
| Dialling code: | 01499 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Argyll and Bute |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Argyll and Bute |
Furnace, formerly known as Inverleacainn (Gaelic: Inbhir Leacainn)) is a village in Argyllshire, on the north shore of Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch in the United Kingdom. Furnace is to be found around eight miles southwest of Inveraray on the A83 road.
Despite the peaceful, wild surrounds in which it sits, Furnace has an industrial past, which indeed gave the village its name, in addition to the usual focus on agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity was led by three main businesses: the iron furnace, the powdermills and the quarry.
Ironworks
The ironworks were founded in 1755 by the Duddon Company of Lancashire, drawn by the local forest capable of supplying the charcoal needed in smelting iron.[1] The village, then called Inverleacainn (the mouth of the River Leacainn) gradually took on the shorthand name of ‘the furnace’ and finally, simply ‘Furnace’. The furnace itself shut down in 1812, upon the expiry of a 57-year lease from the Duke of Argyll.[1] The Duddon Company was bought by Harrison Ainslie in 1828. The site is a scheduled monument[1]
Loch Fyne Powderworks
The same charcoal resource that fed the furnace supported the development of the next industry to arrive - the manufacture of gunpowder using charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre. The Loch Fyne Powderworks, one of four in Argyll, was built in 1841 and was criticised for its safety standards after the Explosives Act 1875. The company had sited an 80-ton storage magazine 90 yards from the village school.
In 1883 the Powdermills closed, when it blew up with a stove-house explosion. The only casualty was the manager, William Robinson, who was not even on site at the time: he was at home for lunch 250 yards away and was killed by flying rocks. The explosion was the subject of a Government enquiry, with concerns (which were never substantiated) about industrial sabotage by rival firms.
Quarry
The third industry was the quarry, opening in 1841 during the term of the Powdermills and still in operation today. It supplied cobbles for the streets of Glasgow and was the biggest employer in the area. Over 200 men then cut the pink granite by hand. The quarry, which now produces crushed stone and concrete in volume, is now fully mechanised, and employs 3-4 men.
Sport and leisure
- Shinty: the Furnace Shinty Club holds a record that cannot be beaten and was not equalled until 2013. In 1923, the Furnace team won the premier national competition, the Camanachd Cup, beating Newtonmore 2–0 at Inverness – and without having dropped a single goal from the start of the competition to their ultimate victory.[2] Newtonmore equalled this feat in 2013 when they won the Camanachd Cup without conceding a goal.
The Leacainn Walk, a six-mile circular walk from the village following some of the old drover’s roads, crosses the River Leacainn and passes many local landmarks. The villagers created the walk as a millennium project.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Furnace) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Furnace, Ironworks - scheduled monument detail (Historic Environment Scotland)
- ↑ Shinty history in the making - Herald Scotland | Sport | SPL | Aberdeen