Cinderford Canal facts for kids

The Cinderford Canal was a special waterway built a long time ago, around 1797, in a place called Gloucestershire, England. It was a private canal, meaning it was owned by a company, not the public. Its main job was to bring important materials like coke (a type of fuel) and water to the Cinderford Ironworks, a factory that made iron.

What Was the Cinderford Canal For?

The Cinderford Canal was about 1¼ miles long. It stretched from a large pond at Broadmoor all the way to the Cinderford Ironworks. This canal was quite wide, about 15 feet across, but it didn't have any locks. Locks are like water elevators that help boats move up or down hills. Since this canal had no locks, it must have been mostly flat.

Boats used the canal to carry coke to the ironworks. Coke is a special fuel made from coal, used to melt iron ore at very high temperatures. The Cinderford Ironworks was actually the first factory in the Forest of Dean area to use coke for making iron.

The canal also supplied water to a large water wheel. This wheel helped power a "furnace blast," which is like a giant fan that blew air into the furnace. This made the fire even hotter, helping to melt the iron. Iron ore, the raw material for iron, was brought to the factory by pack-mules from nearby mines.

Early Days of the Ironworks

The ironworks started in 1795. However, it didn't do very well at first and stopped making iron around 1807.

The Cinderford Ironworks opened again in 1829. By this time, a new way to transport goods had arrived: the Bullo Pill Railway. A railway line was built right past the factory. This made it much easier to bring in coke and iron ore and to take away the finished iron products. The factory kept working off and on until it finally closed for good in 1894.

Where Was the Canal Located?

The Cinderford Canal began at a large pond in Broadmoor. This pond was created in the 1600s by damming the Cinderford Brook. It was originally built to supply water to an iron furnace in a place called Soudley.

From Broadmoor, the canal ran alongside the Cinderford Brook, heading south towards the ironworks. Today, a road called Valley Road follows the exact path where the canal used to be. This road is now lined with many small businesses. Because of this, there is very little, if anything, left of the original Cinderford Canal to see today.