Nantyglo Round Towers, South Wales

The discovery of rich seams of coal and iron ore transformed much of the quiet, rolling hills of south east Wales in the nineteenth century. The iron and coal industries of south Wales were the powerhouse of Britain’s industrial revolution: they facilitated the relentless expansion of the empire, providing raw materials for transport, power and infrastructure.

Nantyglo, a small agricultural settlement in the eighteenth century, was the site of one of the largest ironworks in the country by 1820 – the local landscape transformed by pits, furnaces and mills. However, the decline came almost as quickly as it had arrived, and by the 1870s, ironmaking at Nantyglo was no longer profitable.

The Round Towers and former stable block at Nantyglo are all that remain of the sprawling complex that was once Nantyglo Ironworks. Built by the ironmasters in the face of industrial revolt in the first half of the nineteenth century, the fortified towers are an evocative remnant of the industry that shaped the rapid commercial development of a once-quiet countryside.

AHP worked together with the Manchester architectural practice of Lloyd Evans Pritchard to prepare a conservation plan that will provide a framework for the future conservation and reuse of the ironworks’ remains, and the basis for a funding application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Using contemporary maps and accounts in Wales and England, AHP provided a detailed history of the development of the ironworks, and a contextual framework for the buildings and landscape which remain. Understanding both the economic pressures of the iron market and the personalities of the Bailey brothers, who controlled the ironworks for much of the century, was important. Also key was a thorough understanding of the socio-economic conditions of those who worked at Nantyglo: AHP’s report used primary and secondary sources to explain the reasons behind frequent bouts of industrial unrest at the works, and the effect of such unrest upon the architecture of the site.

AHP also formulated a set of conservation policies and issues to be addressed in planning future work at Nantyglo. These are an important part of any conservation plan and will, with the historic understanding, provide clear guidelines for the future of this historic site.

Public

Middlesbrough Town Hall, Cleveland ›
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne ›

Ecclesiastical

Whalley Abbey, Lancashire ›
Ironmonger Row Baths, London ›

Commercial

Regent Street, London ›
Watermen’s Hall, London ›

Military

Dymchurch Redoubt, Kent ›
Carlisle Castle, Cumbria ›

Industrial

Transporter Bridge, Middlesbrough ›
Nantyglo Round Towers, South Wales ›

Country

Gad’s Hill, Kent ›
Sundridge Park, Bromley ›