Water Features:- Weir; Head Goit; Small Dam; Back Dam; Hammer Tail Goit; Blower Tail Goit
Historic Works Buildings:- Forge; Blacksmiths Shop; Foundry; Joiners Shop
Domestic Buildings:- No.6 Cottage; No.7 Cottage; Out Houses
New Display Buildings:- Smithy; South Yorkshire Iron Works; Elizabeth Engine House
Other Buildings / Areas:- Spark Hill; Back Field; Storage Buildings; Toilets
Buildings Off Site:- Forge Cottage; Forge Yard ; Managers House
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The Weir on the river Don is the start of site. Here water, the prime power of Top Forge, is directed off the river and into the man made Head Goit (Head Race). The dam is built from stone to a fairly standard pattern with a continuous slope down stream of the crest. The dam is at an angle to the river to direct the water towards the shuttles (sluice gates).
Set into the riverbank and dividing the river and Head Goit are the two River Shuttles (sluice gates). Originally these were used to match the amount of water drawn from the river to the amount of water being used in the Forge. If too much water is allowed through, the overflow may not keep the water level at a safe height and expensive damage can result, if too little water is allowed through, the level in the dam will fall and the power available to the wheels will be reduced.
The shuttles consist of a wooden gate that slides within wooden runners. The height of the gate was varied by a large iron screw. By this means, the gap below the gate was varied.
The gates are now disused and set to allow a small amount of water, enough to keep the dam topped up at all times (except open days when all three wheels are turning as well as keeping the back dam topped up) but not enough to damage the dam walls or overflow.
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In order to give the most power to the water wheels, it is important that the highest drop possible is made over the wheel. The best way to do this is to site the dam a long way up stream and direct the water to the wheel by way of a head goit (or head race in other parts of the country).
The site of Top Forge is such that the water in the head goit travels a lot shorter distance than the river, which forms a large oxbow at this point. Long goits could be expensive to maintain so the location here was a very good site.
From the river shuttles, the head goit passes under the road in its own little culvert, then runs parallel to the road around a long curve and into the small dam. In truth the road follows the goit rather than the goit following the road as the goit dates back to before the road came so close to the forge. The original road climbed over the raised ground in a straight line between the Sharp Ford Bridge (close to Thurgoland) and Forge Bridge (at the bottom of Well Hill).
Since the back dam has been adapted as a fish farm a small wooden dam has been constructed within the head goit to direct water into the fish ponds at a constant rate.
The length of the goit has been extended by way of the fact that the small dam has silted up where the water enters.
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This is undoubtedly the original dam for the Forge. The storage capacity of the dam proved far two small for the forge when in full production, thus the Back Dam was constructed.
The current dam is a little smaller than the original (and has a lot lower capacity) as there is now a large amount of silt in it. So far only the silt in the direct path of water to the wheels has been cleared.
Of the three take off points for the water, only that for the No.2 Hammer has the original style of Shuttle (or Sluice Gate), in the other cases modern gate valves have been installed for the added safety and convenience of out volunteers.
There is evidence of a fourth shuttle that was once located close to the blower wheel shuttle and severed a wheel that was removed before the current blower wheel was installed.
The outflows points from the dam have been changed as the Forge and its wheels have been changed.
Beneath the dam wall, behind each Shuttle is a tunnel that connects to the wheel shuttle for each wheel. In the case of No.1 wheel, there is a short plain tunnel to a small pentrough chamber, however the tunnel to No.2 wheel is much longer. As can be seen from the plan of the Forge, both hammer wheels are in line and in order that the water can reach No.2 wheel independently from No.1 wheel the tunnel curves from the corner of the dam entering the small pentrough chamber above the wheel at right angles to the wheel.
For the blower wheel, which is back shot wheel (see below), has a large iron pentrough suspended directly above the wheel although it has the same tunnel as No.1 wheel. In its original form, the wheel shuttle for the blower wheel slid at an angle to restrict the opening in the bottom of the iron pentrough.
The overflow from the dam, a relatively long way up stream from the lowest point of the dam. It is thought that the sluice for No.2 Wheel was constructed on the site of the original overflow.
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When it became clear, sometime before 1746, that the Small Dam was too small to properly serve the Forge when the flow in the river was low, an additional dam was constructed. Unusually the Back Dam is not on the main flow of water but off to one side.
It is not know quite how the two dams were controlled, but it is possible that the Small Dam was filled first before the connecting sluice was opened to slowly fill the Back Dam. The water could then be stored until the level of the Small Dam dropped.
When the Forge and its land were sold off the Head Goit and the two dams were bought privately. Although the Small Dam remains for the exclusive use for the Forge the Back Dam is now a fish farm, indeed an additional dam has been constructed in one corner.
The link between the two dams was once covered by a 'boat house'. This is supposed to be the home of an iron steam boat that was used on the dams.
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As with the Head Goits to the hammers, the hammer wheels being in line means that tunnels are required to get the water clear of the wheels. The water from No.1 wheel (the one upstream) runs through a low curved tunnel around the side of No.2 wheel. It then joins the water from No.2 wheel, still in a tunnel and all the water runs down to the river, along the side of the cottages.
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The blower wheel is situated at a lower level than the Hammer Wheels. This is possible because the Tail Goit extends under the buildings, cottage yard and around the corner, only reaching the river at the very extreme of the property.
It is known that the site of the wheel has been moved at some point and that the upper part of the goit has been diverted.
As the goit runs across such a large part of the site and under buildings and a yard, the goit must be an early feature.
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This is of cause the centre of activity for the site and Historically the most interesting of the Buildings. It contains the two Belly Helve hammers used in the production of Iron Axles and has three Water Wheels directly adjacent to the building proper.
There is little doubt that the building has been added to and changed over the years and this has resulted in a number of interesting features.
One of the first things that a visitor is likely to notice is the Forge roof. This has a raised section running along the ridge and altogether is made of three different material - Stone Slabs, Roof Slates and Pan Tiles. This is not a result of miss guided conservation by a reflection of the changes and repairs made during the working life of the Forge.
Recent additions are the two small roofs over the hammer water wheels. There are built in a style that blends with the existing roofs and are supported by structures that have not required changes to be made to the original building. A photograph of the Forge in 1905 shows marks that could be the outline of a long lost roof over the No.2 Wheel.
Those visitors that have a good look at the building as they enter the forge may notice two unusual features in the wall by No.2 Hammer and wheel. The building, as you would expect, is mostly constructed of stone with a wooden roof structure, but two of the stone arches at the entrance are actually supported on iron columns, and at least one of these seems to have been put in place some time after the main was built! The other feature is a large (and heavy) section of wall that is supported by a timber lintel (but don't worry that the timber looks a little rotten as there is a modern steel beam hidden within the wall).
We know that there was major investment in the area in the early part of the 18th century and this is confirmed by a date stone in the Forge building of 1713. Also on display is a date stone from Low Forge, again from 1713.
In order that heavy weights could be carried across the floor and that there was no chance of an unwanted fire, the floor is covered in 'Sheffield Carpets', that is iron floor plates.
The Hammer Wheels; The Hammers; The Furnaces, The Cranes, The Blower Wheel; The Blower
The Hammer Wheels - Each of the two hammers has its own water wheel. Both are breast shot wheels constructed from cast iron rings with wooden paddles the fit closely inside the ashlar stone pits. Both wheels have been covered in the late 1990s to reduce the problem of the wood decaying through being wet for a day or so each week and then drying out in the sun. Close inspection of these roofs shows that both are built to match existing holes in the structure and so no alterations to the forge walls were required - a very important fact as there is very little proof of original roofs over the wheels
No. 1 Wheel - this is the narrower of the wheels and is built around a single iron ring .
No. 2 Wheel
No.1 Hammer
No.2 Hammer
Animation of No.2 Hammer at Work
The Furnaces - In order that an axle could be forged the iron had to be heated from cold until it was glowing a bright yellow. However the axle would also have to be regularly reheated during the forging process. If supply of hot iron is to be maintained for the hammers, it is clear that four or so axles are going to be under heat at any one time for each hammer. It is not surprising then that the forge had three furnaces that took up as much room as the hammers.
Two small furnaces were provided for No.1 Hammer and one large furnace for No.2 Hammer. When the fore was closed, the fire brick lining to the furnaces was demolished and the iron shells removed, probable for scrap (there may have been remelted at Low Forge).
Since preservation, parts for two furnaces have been obtained. The largest furnace, for No.2 Hammer, is in its proper place and may bricked up put into working order, however the small furnace is currently just a facade. The place of the third furnace, close to the blower wheel, has been left open in order that visitors will be able to see the reconstruction of the blower.
The Blower Wheel - As far as is known this wheel only ever drove ancillary equipment at the Forge and was never connected to a hammer.
An earlier wheel was located at the side of this wheel and it may be the case that the original wheel was move to make more room within the main forge building. The purpose of the wheel in this inner position is not known but it could have driven an early forging hammer or the blower (if it was moved at some point).
To drive the blower (see below) the drive was taken off the centre shaft, while later machines were driven off a ring gear drive. This evidence supports the idea that there was originally a wooden wheel that was later replaced by the current cast iron wheel. The evidence that the current wheel had a wooden axle is clearly shown by the specially made spacer pieces that match the large hole in the wheel to the small steel axle (wooden axles were always bigger that the equivalent iron or steel axle). This arrangement was added during the restoration of the wheel and replaced a wooden axle with iron ends for the bearings. This wood was rotten and has been replaced by steel castings that match the shape of the frame to the shape of the new axle.
It is known that the Blower Wheel drove other equipment, most interesting of these was a large tripod used as a test rig for the testing of railway axles. Later on the wheel drove a small pump, that still exists, to pump string water from across the river up to the managers house on the other side of the road. This spring water contains sulphur and can still be found by those prepared to follow the path along Chemistry Lane, opposite the Forge.
The Blower - When Wrought Iron was produced directly from Iron Ore the furnaces used in the first part of the process (Finery) required a strong blast of air. To provide this a two cylinder reciprocating blower was designed and built. This drive came from gears on the water wheel shaft.
The two cylinders were double acting so both ends of the cylinder were closed and the piston rods required a crosshead to guide them at the joint with the connecting rod. A written description of the blower tells us that instead of the slides that are common on a steam engine, the blower had a little wheel on each crosshead that took the weight. The valves of the blower were made of leather flaps.
The blower seems to be an integral part of the 1771 patent taken out by John Cockshutt (junior) 'for making malleable iron directly from the ore in a finery' and refining iron with charcoal into wrought iron in a new or improved finery fitted with a number of twyers. We can only assume that this patent was only applied for after many months or years of experiment and development, dating the blower to between say 1755 and 1770.
When the Finery Heaths were replaced by reheat furnaces for axle forging the blower was retained to provide an air blast to the Blacksmiths' heaths. The remains of the blower may have survived until at least the closure of the Forge in 1907 or even 1929 when Low Forge closed.
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Up until recently there would be Blacksmith at all but the smallest factory or works. Unless horses were employed by the company, these would not be Farriers, but would carry out repairs to machinery as well as making new parts, mostly involving hot metal work.
At Top Forge there were three heaths, meaning that at one time there may have been four or five men employed on repair works. These men also seem to have been responsible for repairs at Low Forge and probable took in outside work as well. At least one man would likely be a farrier to make shoes for the horses used to move materials to and from the Forges.
The three original blacksmiths hearths were provided with air from the original blower in the Forge. The ducts for this exist within the original floor, however this is currently covered by the present raised floor.
The Blacksmiths Shop remained in use after Top Forge finally closed (1912) as it was required for Low Forge until it too closed in 1929
Since the building was reconstructed in the early 1970s, the Blacksmiths shop has been set up as a machine shop both to display machine tools from before 1930 and to allow volunteers to carry out repairs and restoration work. The saw dust and metal swarf on the tools is not for show, but where they have been used for proper work.
In keeping with its origins, there is a Blacksmiths Hearth and from time to time, Blacksmiths come to Top Forge and give metal working demonstrations.
Machines in the Blacksmiths Shop
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The current means of access to the Foundry is from the Blacksmiths shop, however this entrance if modern and dates from the restoration of the building in the 1970s. The original access was through a large arched doorway to the right as you enter from the Blacksmiths. This opened out into the Forge Yard and was easily big enough to allow carts to enter. The floor level is this corner has also been dropped so that it matches the Blacksmiths shop.
It seems clear that the building was used as an iron foundry of some sort for a number of years, and perhaps, non ferrus casting was undertaken as well. An oil painting dating from around 1850 shows a large chimney that could be for a furnace in this building. Also during the restoration of the Foundry building remnants of iron and brass or bronze were found within the floor.
We have spoken to local men, who as boys played in the Forge, gaining entrance by climbing through a hole in the roof of the foundry and jumping down onto the roof of an office within the foundry. Even at this late date, there were old wooden pattern stored in the building.
It is recorded that bells for churches were often cast in makeshift foundries local to their final destination and that they are tuned by removing material from the final casting. As the Forge is one of the closest sites to such places as Wortley Church, could some of their bells have been cast here and would this explain how brass or bronze came to be in an iron foundry?
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This is the small building at the end of the Foundry. The title 'Cementation Furnace' is based on the layout of foundations within the original floor (now covered). It is known that one of the Cockshutts experimented with the cementation process for producing steel, but not where this was carried out. Also, as with the Foundry, there are no records of the use of this building.
It is very unlikely that any steel products were manufactured and sold from Top Forge, but that does not stop a furnace being built here and producing quantities of steel during experimentation. During the 19th century (c1860s) Andrews, Burrows & Co., opened a steel works in Sheffield. It is not impossible that trial batches of steel were produced here before the main works was opened.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s the Furnaces building was used to house a boiler and is now being adapted to house a large compressor that will allow the steam engines in the Foundry to be demonstrated.
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As Woodwork was generally lighter than Ironwork, the Joiners Shop is able to be built on the First Floor.
During the sites closure, the roof of the Joiners Shop collapsed down onto the First Floor, and this in turn collapsed onto the Ground floor. During the restoration of the building, an iron roof structure became available. These beams and trusses date back to 1813 and were made for the Workshop building at Strutt's Mill, Millford, Derbyshire.
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When Top Forge was preserved the site of the Smithy was a just a few low walls filled with furnace ash. The exact style of building originally here or its purpose are not known but it may have been a store for finished axles.
As part of the construction of the Smithy Building, two hammers and a press were installed on deep resilient foundations.
Then complete, a number of machines will be drive from a stationary oil engine via lineshafts in the roof. In the mean time the building is in use as a workshop for restoration work and maintenance work.
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Currently under construction, the South Yorkshire Iron Works gets its name from the decorative stones in the eastern gable which came from the real South Yorkshire Iron Works in the lower Don Valley, east of Sheffield city centre. The building is also known as the Smithy Extension, as it adjoins the Smithy. There is only limited evidence of a previous building here, but the current building is now forming a valuable additional display area for metalworking machines.
When completed many of the machines housed here will be driven by overhead lineshaft and will be used to demonstrate hot metal work.
To the rear of this building, facing the river, there was once a toilet for the men in the Forge. It is hoped that this feature can be reconstructed in time.
Machines in the South Yorkshire Iron Works
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When the mill engine Elizabeth was brought to Top Forge a building have to be constructed to house it. This is because, in typical mill engine style, the engine is supported by the building structure and does not have its own framework.
The design of the building is such that it was to form the end wall of a much larger engine house and display area. This project stopped after Elizabeth was installed. The foundation of the end wall for this building can clearly be seen, as can the parts of the existing engine house that were not finished off to allow for the connection to the larger structure. Hopefully this project can be restarted in the next few years, and the covered are created used to house more of our interesting collection of machines.
About Elizabeth, the Steam Engine
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At the side of the entrance road, just below the dam is Spark Hill. The name comes from an 18th century map that shows the Forge and its surroundings. As you might expect, the hill is composed of clinker, ash and cinders almost certainly from early iron smelting furnaces. The fact that there is a 'hill' as early as this gives substance to the documentary evidence of the Forge dating back to at least the early 17th century.
Worth looking at and considering is the overflow from the dam that runs in a tunnel under the hill.
Since preservation Spark hill has been cut back slightly to make a safe roadway into the backfield. Although controversial at the time, this action has given us access to the back field area suitable for lorries and coaches.
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The Back Field is the name given to the former meadow that extends from the dam overflow across to the river. Since preservation large amounts of aggregate and road planings have been used to create an all weather hard standing that serves as a car park. During dry weather, the large grassed area also serves for car parking.
During the years when the Forge was closed (1912 to 1953), we understand the back field was used as a sort of playing field.
The Back field is home to the Model Engineers miniature railway station, the toilets and a large amount of stored equipment.
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Our current toilets are located adjacent to the car parking area. We regret that we do not have dedicated disabled toilets at this time.
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As with any museum, Top Forge has many items that are not on public display. Many of these are stored around the Back Field, with the most critical being housed under cover.
Visitors are welcome to look around the stored equipment in the Back field however, you are warned to take extreme care in this area and not to climb on any of the equipment.
One storage structure is our Container No.3. This is a steel shipping container that was donated to us on the principle that we moved it within a couple of days as he wanted it off his site. It is a little the worse for wear in that the roof has rusted through and a wooden roof has been built on top, but this and its very particular design leads us to believe that it is a very early design. Its galvanised steel construction has only just saved it from the corrosive affects of cement dust and moisture trapped behind advertising boards.
We have two former railway van bodies that have been incorporated into a building these still carry the markings of their former owner and were numbered B769745 & B780320
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This area is Privately Owned and not open to the Public. Please do not try to gain access to this area.
What is currently 'Forge Cottage' was once the office for Top Forge and was situated such as to not only guard the main entrance from the road (now a private drive) but also overlook the Forge Yard and down into the western side of the Forge Building.
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This area is Privately Owned and not open to the Public. Please do not try to gain access to this area.
Now the garden of Forge Cottage, the yard is encircled by Forge buildings and a high wall. Although there is no evidence of cranes for handling finished axle, it seems likely that the iron bars from low forge were brought in through the yard and unloaded close to the furnaces.
Also, importantly, there was once a tripod in the yard close to the Blower Wheel. This was used as part of Thomas Andrews experiments and test on iron axles and can be consider part of the quality control for the Top Forge axles. There may have been a water heater and hydraulic press in this yard at a later date, also part of Thomas Andrews experiments.
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This area is Privately Owned and not open to the Public. Please do not try to gain access to this area.
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