The Dowlais Ironworks was a major 19-century ironworks located near Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. Ironworks at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England An ironworks is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron products are made. ... // Introduction Merthyr Tydfil (Welsh: Merthyr Tudful) is a town and county borough in the traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales, with a population of about 55,000. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English, Welsh Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff First Minister Rhodri Morgan Area  - Total Ranked 3rd UK 20,779 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 3rd UK 2,903,085 140/km² Ethnicity: 97. ...

It was founded in 1759 and for much of its existence was operated by the Guest family; in 1767, John Guest, an experienced iron worker, arrived from Shropshire to manage the Dowlais works. He became a partner in the business, and by 1851, his grandson was the sole owner. 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... John Guest (7 March 1822 – 12 January 1879) was a Commodore of the United States Navy. ... Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The works owed much of its success to an 1821 contract for iron rail, as rail was needed in ever greater quantities to build the rapidly expanding railroads. At its peak in 1844, the works operated 18 blast furnaces and employed 7,300 people, and by 1857 had constructed the world's most powerful rolling mill. 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A blast furnace is a type of furnace for smelting whereby the combustion material and ore are supplied with air from the bottom of the chamber such that the chemical reaction does not take place only at the surface. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Unlike the works' Merthyr Tydfil companion the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, the Dowlais works converted to steel production early (becoming the first licensee of the Bessemer process in the 1850's), allowing it to survive into the 1930's. Iron production continued at the site until 1987. The Cyfarthfa Ironworks was a major 19-century ironworks located in Cyfarthfa, near Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. ... // Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Bessemer Converter, Schematic Diagram The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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