Bersham Ironworks were large ironworks at Bersham, near Wrexham, North Wales. They are most famous for being the original working site of John Wilkinson. They were also the first site in the world to use a new way of boring holes in Cannons and steam engine cylinders. Wrexham (Welsh: Wrecsam) is an industrial town in north-east Wales. ... Approximate extent of North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. ... John Iron-Mad Wilkinson (1728 – 1808) was a British industrialist who suggested the use of iron for many roles where other materials had previously been used. ...

History

Ironworking first started at Bersham around 1640, and evidence shows that cannons for the Royalists in the English Civil War were made here. In the 18th Century, Isaac Wilkinsion bought the ironworks and ran it for a considerable amount of years. The main product was Cannons, although the process to make cannons in iron was difficult, and cannonballs often became stuck in the barrel, leading to explosions. Prince Rupert of the Rhine Cavaliers was the name used by Parliamentarians for the Royalist supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War (1642–1651). ... The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ...

When Isaac's son, John Wilkinson took over, he employed a boring machine to accurately make a smooth bore cannon, which became so popular, the cannons were used in the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic wars. As well as cannon, the smooth bore machine could make cylinders for Boulton and Watt, which he entered a partnership with Watt to make the cylinders. However, Watt discovered Wilkinson had been marketing his own black market steam engines on the side, and the partnership ended. A small American Civil War-era cannon on a carriage A caun is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia, • and Others • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list The Napoleonic Wars consisted of a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... The firm of Boulton and Watt, a partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt, made steam engines at their Soho Foundry in Smethwick, near Birmingham, England. ...

With Europe and the world returning to peace, the market for cannons were lost. The space at Bersham to expand had ran out, and Wilkinson needed to move on. He bought a house and estate at nearby Brymbo and built a blast furnace there, to what would later become Brymbo Steelworks.

John Wilkinson had fallen out with his brother William, who raised a small gang to destroy Bersham Ironworks. Upon hearing this, John Wilkinson also raised a gang and helped the destruction, he was only too happy to destroy the mill causing him a loss. Only three structures survived, the mill building, the building which housed the smooth bore machine, and a lime kiln. A 19th century limekiln A limekiln is a kiln used to produce quicklime by the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate). ...

After this, the site was leased to a family who opened a paper mill on the site. This did not last a long time, however, and the site was left derelict. The site on the southern bank of the River Clywedog had been completely destroyed, while the original works were in a state of decay. The site passed through agricultural use, and the "Mill building" became a mill, complete with a water wheel, still intact today. Most of the mill building has new red brick built on the old sandstone walls. The Clywedog Valley is a valley and river in North Wales, near Wrexham. ...

Excavation and Debate

Between 1987 and 1991, extensive excavation was carried out on the site, and revealing all the foundations of the original buildings and the rear wall of the engine house. They also revealed a lime kiln, with lime on the walls. Another excavation showed it was a blast furnace, finding pig iron around the area. This opened debate to what it actually was, and the debate is taught in local schools. Another interesting find by the excavations was a wooden railway. The worlds first excavated wooden waggonway, that led from a site near Minera limeworks to a shelf above the works, presumably for tipping of lime, needed for the ironmaking process. The piece of track, carbonised, still rests at the mueseum inside the mill building. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WOOD is a pair of radio stations in Grand Rapids, Michigan owned by Clear Channel on the frequencies of 1300 AM and 105. ...

Restoration and Preservation

Now that the historical importance of Bersham was recognised, Wrexham Council put the site forwards for preservation as a heritage centre. THe nearby Bersham School was reopened as an extensive mueseum dedicated to local history, and about Bersham Ironworks, holding the remaining smooth bore cuting piece from the machine. The Mill building was restored and opened as a secondary mueseum, containing artefacts such as the wooden waggonway, and several pieces from the excavations, with a guided tour of all of them. Most recently, the building that made the cannon's smooth bores was given a new roof, and internal scaffolding to reinforce the structure. Now the site is earmarkied for more funding by the Welsh Assembly Government. The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) (Welsh: Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, LlCC) is the executive body of the National Assembly for Wales, consisting of the First Minister and his Cabinet. ...

External links

• Wrexham Council Minisite
• Wrexham Council - Bersham Heritage